The Detroit News. Last year's homecoming queen, Bree Pastalaniec, left, and friend Becky Murray discuss the removal of gay and lesbian bulletin boards from high school classrooms last year. Advocates and opponents are watching the case closely. Last October, administrators removed bulletin boards about homosexual issues at West Middle School and Plymouth-Salem High School, creating debate about academic freedom, discrimination and whether informational displays constitute endorsements of different lifestyles. The teachers union has filed a grievance against the school, and negotiations are now in arbitration.
Students are surprised at the district's uncharacteristic reaction.
The removal of two school displays about Gay and Lesbian History month in Plymouth has polarized homosexual and conservative activists. Other schools have similar bulletin boards. The Michigan Education Association and Plymouth-Canton Community Schools have entered arbitration to resolve a grievance filed by the union over last year's removal of informational bulletin boards coinciding with Gay and Lesbian History Month. Now, the Michigan Education Association and administrators are in arbitration about a union grievance on the issue. The public reaction is intense.