1A no way: Western Albemarle HS cancels scheduled TPUSA “Two Genders” event

Jennifer Sublette, principal of Western Albemarle High School (WAHS) has canceled a scheduled Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event on the topic of “gender.”

Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia was to present, “Two Genders, One Truth,” remarks at the October 1 WAHS TPUSA meeting. When the event’s flyer was submitted for approval, Sublette prohibited the group from holding the meeting during school hours, as memorialized in an email obtained by The Schilling Show:

[Xxxxxx],

Thank you for meeting with me today.  During our meeting we discussed your club’s plans to host Victoria Cobb from the Family Foundation on October 1 as a guest speaker on the topic “Two Genders One Truth” to quote from the flyer that was left in my mailbox before school this morning.

During our time together, I pointed out that you and I had reviewed the cub’s plans for guest speakers at the start of the year and that this speaker had not been discussed at that time.  I expressed my position that gender identity is a complex and controversial topic and that I wanted to support your club while also ensuring that hosting an open event focusing on this topic would not lead to a disruption to our instructional day.   In addition to the mature content of this speaker, as you know our lunch period is 35 minutes long and we have previously had issues with special speaker events for TPUSA running over into the instructional block.

My direction was that this club event would need to be offered after the school day.  I offered open access to our building and supervision for students before and after the event given that our student activity bus runs at 6:45.

Again, thank you for meeting with me.  As I have shared with you before, I have appreciated that we have been able to work together to support your club activities and ensure students have access to the chapter you have created.

Ms. Sublette

Jennifer Sublette, Principal
Western Albemarle High School

For the record, WAHS has allowed many events which arguably have created “a disruption to [the] instructional day.” Notably, WAHS recently facilitated a student “walkout” in support of child sacrifice (abortion), which clearly interfered with learning.

Sublette’s primary point appears to be that the speaker “had not been discussed” in an earlier conference with TPUSA. However, according to knowledgeable sources, the referenced meeting was not a TPUSA club planning meeting, but rather a location-specific logistical discussion ensuring the efficient use of school time and space. In addition, witnesses clarified that Sublette had not previously required advance “clearance” for speakers.

ACPS provided the following statement to The Schilling Show:

Western Albemarle High School’s Turning Point USA chapter continues to hold its regular meetings during the lunch period. When the principal learned of plans to host a speaker on the topic of gender identity, she determined that the 35-minute lunch period would not provide adequate time and that the subject was better suited for an after-school setting. She offered the group that option, including building access and supervision, when more time, flexible attendance, and transportation are available. The student leader chose to postpone that presentation and proceed with a planned speaker during the upcoming lunch meeting.

In a media release regarding WAHS’s cancelation of the October 1 meeting, Cobb issued, via the Founding Freedoms Law Center (the legal arm of the Family Foundation) an extended statement, calling into question Sublette’s ongoing allowance of weekly gender-specific meetings/discussions during school hours at WAHS:

Meanwhile, other student groups – including the “Gender and Sexuality Alliance,” an LGBTQ-affirming student group – meet every week during lunchtime. According to the principal, if TPUSA wants to have me discuss there being two genders, it can only do so after school, when most of the students have already left.

This revocation raises the question of viewpoint discrimination at the hand of a government entity—a direct violation of the First Amendment.

To wit, the Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC) counsel, Michael Sylvester, has issued a demand letter to ACPS counsel, Josiah Black, demanding a “correction” of WAHS’s position:

ACPS should immediately correct its position with respect to the Club’s lunchtime hosting of guest speaker Ms. Cobb. Both federal and state law prevents it from engaging in the type of discrimination it undertook against the Club, its student members and faculty advisor, and Ms. Cobb. By Friday, October 3, I request that you confirm that the Club will be permitted to host this event with Ms. Cobb during an ordinary lunch period in the immediately forthcoming weeks.

Western Albemarle High School, Principal Sublette, and Albemarle County Public Schools Superintendent Matt Haas EdD would do well to heed the demands of the FFLC, whose principled and talented attorneys have enjoyed great legal success in defending constitutional liberties and guarantees.