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SC SCHOOL MAKES NATIONAL MEDIA AFTER PRINCIPAL QUITS OVER GAY CLUB
The story of Irmo High School principal Eddie Walker, who resigned this week following the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance club, has been making the rounds on all of the national news networks.
WIS first reported that Walker sent a letter to residents saying the group “conflicted with my personal beliefs and religious convictions.”
One parent supported Walker’s decision, telling [WIS] News, “You’re not putting them, like, oh, you know, you’re lepers. But we’ve got to stand for what our foundation of our nation was about.”
However, Brent Childers, executive director of Faith in America — which describes itself as “a unique voice in the GLBT social justice movement — called it “a shame that the principal … decided to place religion-based bigotry and discrimination over his former commitment to his students and staff.”
One former student of a high school in Florida that did have a gay-straight club explained to [WIS] that “everyone has equal rights. … This is actually a program to make everyone feel that they belong.” [The Raw Story]
I’m not sure if Childers’ explanation that this group is intended to be for everyone is actually accurate. If this were a college club, I would say it’s no big deal. But since it’s a high school, the decision should probably belong to the parents.
Despite that, I think Walker took the whole thing a little too far, but live and let live I guess. And I’m sure some Podunk school will be dying to hire the guy. Anyone want to take bets on which school?
I’m going to take the easy bet and pick Allendale County.
Oh, and if you didn’t get the reference in the headline, you’re dead to me.
Really sad that Mr. Childers degrades religion to his core beliefs. Once again liberals think as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone it is ok….
Well maybe if more people had guts to stand up for what they believe …. then this country would not be in the terrible shape that it is in,…… where everyone thinks they are entitled to do what ever they damn well please.////
Why is it a violation of rights when someone stands for their religious views if it conflicts with the radical and liberal views of another.
Way to go Irmo. Usually it’s everyone else that makes SC look bad.
Big Deal- I’m a bit confused about what you’re saying. These kids in the Gay-Straight Alliance club did have the guts to stand up for what they believe (in this case, equal treatment regardless of sexual orientation). Also, although our nation was founded by Christians and Deists, the main foundation of our country (expressed in the Declaration of Independence) is that everyone has certain “unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. To me, that sounds like people should be entitled to do whatever they damn well please. Our government is in place primarily to protect these rights; a government that exists to regulate our lives brings us away from the founding principles of our nation, not closer to them.
It’s not a “violation of rights when someone stands for their religious views”. There are much better ways to stand for your religious views than to abandon the commitment you made to the rest of the school when you were hired as principal. Resigning doesn’t do anything to stop the Gay-Straight Alliance club; what it does is leave all of those teachers and students in limbo and lowers the overall educational level in the school.
There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t hear about someone being offended and today I am offended. I am offended that I now have to have a discussion with my 7 year old son-who attends an elementary school in the same district as Irmo High-a discussion that in my opinion he is too young to have. I have to now have a talk with him about what “gay” is and what all this fuss is about. Now a man, who is a good man, is being crucified for standing up for what he believes. If his opinion was politically correct, everything would be okay, but oh no, he has a brain, a heart and convictions and he is said to be bad and wrong. I graduated from Irmo High School and Eddie Walker was the best thing to happen to Irmo High since the early 1990’s. The school was nearly run in the ground by Gerald Witt and Anna Hicks. Eddie Walker had started to try to put Irmo back on the track to academic success, but now that is shot! I hope that everyone will be okay with having uneducated tolerant students-don’t say a word when Irmo slips even further because they don’t have a leader with a backbone-the one that they had left because of a club that has NOTHING to do with school or education. School is a place to go and learn about reading, math, science, etc-not about sexuality! Tolerance and life lessons should be taught at home.
Don’t worry Mickey M, with a 7 year old son, you have approximately 5 more years to force your world view upon him. Though it may be less depending on how bright he.
Mickey- Eddie Walker isn’t being “crucified” for taking a stand (unless by crucified you mean people talk about him on blogs). He chose to leave on his own free will, and he wasn’t fired or forced out because of his opposition to the club. No one was asking him to endorse or condone homosexuality; they just asked him to do his legal duty and allow a club on campus without evaluating their political views. He bears sole responsibility for his resignation, and accepts it well in his resignation letter.
We can also talk about how many clubs that have “nothing to do with school or education” play a valuable role in high schools (sports, ROTC, FCA, etc.; here’s the list of Irmo High clubs: http://www.lex5.k12.sc.us/IrmoHS.cfm?subpage=567 ), but the main point is that these organizations (and the GSAC) are protected by law. Mr. Walker admits that in his resignation. If instead the school district sat there and decided which organizations can form and which can’t based on their political views, it would lead to more politicalized decisions/ political correctness, not less.
If Mr. Walker really is the best thing to happen to Irmo since the 90’s, it’s a shame he has decided to leave, but it’s his decision and he’s responsible for it, not the Gay-Straight Alliance Club. I’d also like to retract my previous statement about Walker abandoning his commitments to the school; he’s actually serving out his contract and staying on until June 2009.
He is certainly free to resign, that is one fewer bigot left in public school management. It is my understanding, however, that several years ago, he nixed a similar move. At that time he should have been FIRED for not following policy.
I admire the man for having the courage to stand up for what he believes.
You may disagree with him, but don’t condemn him for the same thing you are clamoring for: freedom to think, say, and do.
It definitely takes courage to stand up for your beliefs; I think that’s what people on both sides of this issue are doing.
I would suggest, however, there are more constructive and positive means of standing up for your beliefs than quitting….what sort of message does that send to the youth of Irmo?
I am a former student of Mr. Walker’s, from Pelion Elementary School. He is a very noble and honest man and I always adored him! He knew every single childs name and greeted all of them as they came through the door every morning and afternoon. I am also a homosexual woman. I have to say that yes, he may have said some things that were offensive, but he as an opinion and this is a free country. He has a right to do as he wishes. I think that he was doing the right thing in some aspects. Its the same as with saying we need to have teen parent clubs, its telling kids to go try having sex with everyone. I just think that it all needs to be left alone though. I remember actually, when he left my former school he said he was going to help some other children at a what you would call a “bad kid” school. He said that all children needed was love, so if you say that this man is evil or bad, well I think you should take another look. He is doing what he thinks is right, he has the right to have his own opinions. I’m not sure why this is getting to be so big, I mean really I have my own opinion and it hasn’t gotin around to the whole world because I said it. So just leave him alone! He is a good man and I am very proud of him as a person and as a former principle at my old school!