Nebraska State Education Association, (Courtesy)
LINCOLN – The Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA) today issued the following statement from President Tim Royers in response to Gov. Jim Pillen’s announcement of a statewide partnership with Turning Point USA (TPUSA) to establish Club America chapters in Nebraska high schools.
“The Nebraska State Education Association supports students’ constitutional rights to form non-curriculum-related clubs that foster civic engagement and personal growth. These rights are well established under federal law, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that involved a case right here in Nebraska, Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens (1990).
“At the same time, there is a clear and important distinction between clubs that are initiated by students based on genuine interest and a statewide initiative directed by the governor’s office. Decisions about student activities are best made locally by school boards, administrators, educators, parents and students – not through a statewide mandate.
“Public schools must remain politically neutral environments. Educators and school leaders have a responsibility to ensure that no political organization is perceived as endorsed by the state or embedded within public school systems in a way that compromises that neutrality.”
