Parent-child events banned in Cranston

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) -The Cranston school district is now banning father-daughter dances and similar mother-son activities, saying they are a violation of state law against gender discrimination.

According to The Providence Journal, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Cranston School Superintendent Judith Lundsten on behalf of a single mother. The complaint revolved around the woman's daughter being unable to attend a father-daughter dance at her school.

“I truly believe that no one intended to hurt anyone’s feelings with this. That they wanted to be inclusive, but that they also like the traditional type of activities,” said Lundsten.

Cranston Mayor Allan Fung described his reaction to the schools' ban as "utter disappointment," saying it will prevent future generations from having the same "cherished" experiences as their parents and grandparents.

"In the zeal to protect people who feel they are being disenfranchised, this policy has completely denied our children of one of the most cherished traditions in their school experience. I sympathize with these parents because it seems once again that Cranston is at the epicenter of another attack on our traditions by the ACLU," said Fung.

• Related: Residents, mayor clash over dance ban

Fung also said he hasn't spoken with the superintendent or the school committee about the decision but disagrees with the legal basis for their decision. "Just from my initial gut reaction I think it's too narrow of a reading," saying the practical effect is to deny opportunities.

School attorneys said that federal Title IX legislation banning gender discrimination does give an exemption for these events. Rhode Island state law does not.

Steven Brown, Executive Director of the Rhode Island ACLU issued a statement Tuesday in response to the controversy.

It read in part, "The controversy that has suddenly arisen in a political campaign over father-daughter dances in Cranston is old news – the matter was amicably resolved with school officials over four months ago. And it was resolved for a simple reason: the school district recognized that in the 21st Century, public schools have no business fostering the notion that girls prefer to go to formal dances while boys prefer baseball games. This type of gender stereotyping only perpetuates outdated notions of “girl” and “boy” activities and is contrary to federal law."

In a letter to partner organizations, Superintendent Lundsten wrote “under no circumstances should we be isolating any child from full participation in school activities and events based on gender. Please be all inclusive in scheduling your events.”

Meanwhile, Republican Sean Gately said if he's elected in District 26, he'll work to change the Rhode Island state law banning father-daughter and mother-son events.

This is the second highly disrupted situation in Cranston this year.

Back in February, a school prayer banner was removed following a lawsuit with Cranston West High School.

Andrew Adamson contributed to this report.