Parents not notified of the staff-initiated events

by George Mason

Parents in Virginia’s Chesterfield County, a suburban community outside Richmond, are raising alarms after discovering that Robious Middle School has been holding Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) meetings during the instructional day without notifying families or requiring parental permission.

A Sept. 10, 2025, school announcement invited students to an interest meeting:

“The Gay Straight Alliance club, or GSA, will be having an interest meeting for all students this Friday. In the GSA, students will make new friends, play games, have discussions about LGBTQ topics, make a positive impact at Robious, and have a Pride Party at the end of the year. All students are welcome to join, no matter how they identify! Come to the Library on Friday during Roundtable if you’re interested in joining.”

A school employee concerned about parental exclusion told Restoration News the club has grown so large that it now meets by grade level. “Why would parents want their children introduced to LGBTQ topics during the instructional day by school employees, without their permission?” the staff member asked.

Parents say the meetings are not mentioned in the school’s weekly newsletters and are only posted in student announcements. “To my knowledge, parents have no way of knowing unless they specifically seek out the information,” the employee added.

Legal loophole: student- vs. staff-led club

The Equal Access Act (EAA) governs student clubs in federally funded public schools, requiring equal treatment of all student-initiated, student-led, noncurricular clubs. But the law does not protect staff-initiated or -sponsored clubs.

“This club is staff-led,” the employee explained. “That makes it a school-sponsored activity, which means it doesn’t fall under the Equal Access Act.”

Virginia regulations (8VAC20-132-190) also require extracurricular activities to serve educational objectives, avoid disrupting instruction, and be approved by the superintendent and school board. Parents argue that Roundtable, the 25-minute block when the GSA meets, was intended for academic support or makeup work, not club activities. Others question whether discussions about sexuality and gender identity advance educational objectives, unless covered by Virginia’s Family Life Education curriculum, which requires parental notification and opt-out rights.

Since the GSA is classified as a student club, it does not fall under Family Life Education law. Still, parents argue that similar protections should apply when clubs address sensitive issues.

Adding to tensions, the school’s counseling department has posted photos of students at GSA Pride events on Instagram. Images show large groups of middle schoolers with rainbow flags and LGBTQ symbols. Parents now want answers:

• Were media consent forms signed before these photos were posted?
• Does identifying students as GSA members disclose sensitive personal information?
• Could the school face liability under Title IX if students are bullied as a result?

GSA background

The first Gay-Straight Alliance was established in 1988 at Concord Academy in Massachusetts by teacher Kevin Jennings and a student. Jennings later founded GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), which played a major role in spreading GSAs nationwide. While these clubs were originally centered in high schools, they have since expanded into middle school and elementary schools, raising new debates over age appropriateness and parental oversight.

According to DefendingEd.org, at least three Virginia middle schools currently host GSAs: Dorothy Hamm Middle School and Williamsburg Middle School in Arlington Public Schools, and Robious Middle School in Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Critics point to troubling issues in the history of GSAs and their founder:

• Failure to Report Student Disclosure: In 1988, Jennings admitted he did not report a student who told him he had gone home with an older man he met in a bus station bathroom. Even though the student later claimed he was 16, critics argue Jennings’ response reflected a serious lapse in mandatory reporting responsibilities.
• Publishing Choices: Jennings’ first three books were published by Alyson Books, a company known for producing pro-pedophilia works and led by Pat Califia, a supporter of the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA).
• GLSEN Leadership: As the founder and long-time executive director of GLSEN, Jennings oversaw programs that drew sharp criticism for exposing minors to explicit sexual content at youth conferences.

Larger debate

The Robious case highlights a larger statewide issue: How to balance transparency, parental rights, and extracurricular activities that touch on sensitive topics. Virginia law requires parental notice and opt-out options for FLE lessons on sexuality and gender, but those rules do not apply to student clubs, even when they meet during school hours.

Parents in Chesterfield are now urging the school board to act, with proposals ranging from banning staff-led clubs to moving all noncurricular activities outside of the instructional day. Supporters argue such policies would protect instructional time, strengthen transparency, and ensure parents, not schools, remain the primary decision-makers in their children’s education.

George Mason is the pseudonym of a Virginia writer and Restoration News contributor. This article is republished with permission from Restoration News.