Eagle County School District superintendent says he supports students’ initiative to launch Turning Point USA clubs

After the founding of Turning Point USA chapters at Battle Mountain High School and Eagle Valley High School in October led to backlash from community members, the Eagle County School District stood behind students’ ability to form the clubs.

At the Nov. 12 school board meeting, Superintendent Philip Qualman elaborated on the district’s stance on the student-initiated clubs.

“They are a reflection of exactly what we hope to cultivate in our schools, which is young people who think critically, who are engaged in their communities and who are willing to take initiative and lead,” Qualman said. “Our goal is to help students become thoughtful citizens and courageous leaders. That goal applies equally to students of every faith, political belief, gender and ethnicity. When we say we prepare students for life beyond high school, we mean we prepare them to participate in the real world, a world that values, or should value, open dialogue, civic engagement and the ability to engage respectfully across differences.”

Turning Point USA is a national nonprofit with a mission to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government,” according to the organization’s website. The nonprofit was co-founded in 2012 by the right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed in September while speaking at a Turning Point USA public debate event at Utah Valley University.

At Eagle County School District schools, Turning Point USA chapters are non-curricular clubs permitted to meet on school premises but cannot receive public funding.

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Qualman said the students who founded each school’s club followed the district’s procedures for establishing a non-curricular club.

District policy requires that student clubs open membership to all students, adhere to guidelines set by the school’s principal and invite the club’s faculty adviser to every meeting. In keeping with other non-curricular clubs, the Turning Point USA advisers will not receive a stipend.

“Those sponsors are there to help guide, support and ensure that all activities remain consistent with district rules and policies,” Qualman said.

The Equal Access Act of 1984 mandates that the Eagle County School District, as a public secondary school that receives federal funds, not discriminate against student clubs based on the religious, political, philosophical or other content of their speech.

But Qualman said that outside of the law, the district supports the clubs and their pursuit of open conversations.

“As a public institution, we are bound and proud to uphold those rights. But I want to be equally clear on this point: We would make the same decision even if the law didn’t require it,” Qualman said. “Supporting student initiative, protecting expression and encouraging discourse are core to who we are as educators. Our goal is not to tell students what to think, it’s to teach them how to think, and to do so with courage, curiosity and respect.”

Qualman did issue a warning for the clubs, as the parent organization has been connected to Southern Poverty Law Center-identified hard-right extremists.

“Any discussions that promote violence or disruptions to the learning environment will not be tolerated. Engaging in speech that insults or threatens others in the school or the community will not be tolerated. Specifically, any discussions that demean immigrants, people of color or any member of the queer community will not be tolerated,” Qualman said.

If such an incident occurs, Qualman said, it “will prompt an immediate process of reflection and coaching.”

“If a club cannot or will not operate within school and district expectations, it will lose the privilege of being on campus. That is the same standard we hold for all student organizations without exception,” Qualman said.