Texas Quits Group Amid Debate Over Gays

Pullout from state boards' association follows meeting on bullying.

A recent decision by the Texas state school board to withdraw from a national education group highlights how debate over issues involving gay students is reaching all levels of education policymaking.

In a 10-5 party-line vote Nov. 18, the elected Republican-controlled board dropped the state’s membership in the National Association of State Boards of Education, or NASBE. The decision was prompted in part because one of the Texas board members said the group had run a conference that included discussions of policies at odds with the board majority’s views on how to address bullying of students because of their sexual orientation.

“I disagreed with the whole framework of discussion,” Terri Leo, the board member who recommended that the state pull out of NASBE, said last week in describing the October symposium. She said some speakers had advocated policies prohibiting the bullying of particular groups of students, including gays and lesbians, not just overall bans on...