ACLU Prompts Cranston To Cancel Father-Daughter Dances

Earlier in the school year, parents were notified that father-daughter and mother-son activities will no longer be held in Cranston Public Schools because school lawyers concluded the traditions violate state gender discrimination laws.

The action was triggered by a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, said School Superintendent Judith Lundsten. The letter was written on behalf of a mother who said her daughter was unable to go to the father-daughter dance.

Federal laws under Title IX allow father-son and mother-daughter events but state law is more restrictive, Lundsten said.

"We're following the letter of the law," Lundsten, a mother of two grown sons, said. "We never thought it was harming anybody, nobody ever had any intentions of doing that nor did any parent organizations have any intentions of doing that."

Republican Sean Gately, who is running for the state House Dist. 26 seat, issued a heated press release earlier today lambasting the school district.

In the release, Gately said his opponent, School Committee Member Frank Lombardi and his "school committee was asleep at the switch."

"Where is the 'Proven Leadership' I keep hearing about," Gately fired. "After already losing $150,000 of taxpayer money on the banner controversy, they made no effort to protect another important tradition enjoyed by generations of parents and children in the Cranston school system."

The change in policy occurred without any public discussion and the School Committee did not vote for any change. Gately said the issue could easily be fixed by inserting language in the state law that mirrors federal Title IX policy.

But school officials say it's not so simple. School Committee Member Janice Ruggieri said in an interview that Cranston isn't the first district in Rhode Island to ban father-daughter dances. Lincoln set that precedent.

Ruggieri said the decision to ban the dances was to comply with state law, which she said is very clear. According to state law, discrimination on the basis of sex is prohibited in admissions, the classroom, curriculum, athletics, counseling "and any other school function and activities."

What do you think? Did Cranston over-react in the name of political correctness? Did the ACLU and Cranston School District overstep their bounds in forcing the eliminating a time-honored tradition? Should Bristol-Warren School District do the same? Weigh in in the comments section below.