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Faculty and staff members at a charter school in Sandpoint set up a clandestine student “gay” club, recruited students for it and concealed their activism from the affected students’ parents apparently in violation of federal law, according to letter from the nonprofit legal organization Liberty Counsel.

Consequently, Liberty Counsel will “take further action to prevent irreparable harm to the rights of our clients, as well as the parents of other children whom the school is recruiting in the absence of their parents’ knowledge and permission,” the group says in a letter to school officials from Richard L. Mast Jr.

Principal Mary Jensen of Forrest Bird Charter School, which runs middle and high school operations, “admitted the secrecy under which school staff and others had operated,” Liberty Counsel says.

School employees even “facilitated kids meeting off-campus at a local library under the supervision of ‘supportive’ third parties.”

“Jensen stated that they wanted to be ‘a progressive school on that sort of thing, but we did not want to be ‘in-your-face’,’ so parents could not prevent their children from attending. She states ‘we’re keeping it kind of on the down low,’ because ‘this is North Idaho,’ and ‘kids who wanted to participate in the club did not necessarily want their parents to know,’” Liberty Counsel explains.

A recording of her comments were posted online.

As a parent, and county taxpayer, I’m calling for Jensen to be removed as principal now.

SHAWN MOORE

Sagle