The culture war was on full display Thursday night at a meeting of the Albemarle County School Board. Fifty-two people signed up to speak about whether a conservative leader from Richmond should be allowed to address a meeting of a high school branch of Turning Point USA, the group started by the late Charlie Kirk.
Victoria Cobb heads a group called the Family Foundation which opposes abortion under all circumstances, objects to gay marriage and disputes the right of students to identify as something other than their gender at birth.
When Western Albemarle High School agreed to let her speak during the meeting of a conservative student club, one member of the school board, Allison Spillman, objected.
"Last week I did make a Facebook post on my personal and private account. I expressed my concern about a speaker invited to Albemarle High School and within hours someone screen shot my post and shared it with media and some political organizations," Spillman said at Thursday night's board meeting. "What followed was a coordinated campaign of harassment and intimidation, and it was terrifying."
Even during the board’s meeting, some speakers called on her to resign. But Spillman defended her post, wondering if, under current policies, a member of the Ku Klux Klan could also be allowed to address students.
"I did not intend to equate the TPUSA kids to the KKK, and I realize that that is how it was interpreted by many. I tell my children all the time that if you hurt someone, whether you intended to or not, you should always apologize," Spillman said tearfully.
She apologized, and the board cited a Supreme Court ruling that defends the right of free speech for students in standing by plans to permit Cobb’s talk.
A civil rights attorney in the crowd, Lauren Baum, called for a different decision.
"The First Amendment and the Equal Rights Access Act do not protect discriminatory speech," Baum told the board. "You may lawfully prohibit speech that poses a material risk of substantial disruption or interferes with the rights of others. You also have a legal obligation— this is acknowledged in board policy— to maintain a safe and supportive school environment, free from harassment and discrimination."
If the board did not change course, she said, she would ensure that gay and trans students could lawyer up and file suit.
