The Hill
February 14, 2019
Ohio student suspended for ‘targeting’ Gay-Straight Alliance by posting Bible verses in response to LGBT flags
Last Thursday, an Ohio high school student was given an in-school suspension for posting Bible verses on school property in response to the LGBT pride flags that were hanging in the hallways.
Gabby Helsinger recorded a video on Friday regarding the incident, claiming that she was punished for targeting Lebanon City School’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Club. However, the teen claims that she did not even know what the GSA was or what it stood for.
Gabby retells the chain of events leading to her unjust disciplinary action in a video that her mother, Tina Helsinger, shared on Facebook.
Lebanon schools celebrates evil and punishes righteousness!!
Parents – if this was happening to your child – what would you do?
Please listen to her story. If you feel she is being unjustly punished please flood emails and calls to the Principal and Assistant Principal if Lebanon High School. Their email addresses and phone numbers are below!
Phone: 513.934.5104
I appealed the punishment stating “Posting a Bible verse is not abuse of others, disrespect/insolence/rudeness and in no way was it targeting GSA” but the school principal, Scott Butler, says “Gabby was targeting the GSA organization” and therefore must report to ISS Wednesday 3/13/19.
Thanks,
Tina and Gabby“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15 KJV
Posted by Tina Helsinger on Friday, March 8, 2019
“Thursday when I got to school, I see that there were pride flags, posters around my school,” said Gabby. “And I felt the need to write down some Bible verses so I could put them around my school. And I wrote them down and I put them around the lockers, the walls.”
“I was coming back from lunch… and I saw the teachers taking them down,” she continued. “The next day, I got called to the office and there is a letter that says that I have an ISS, which is an in-school suspension, and the reason why I have it is [that] ‘abuse of others, disrespect, rudeness’ because I put Bible verses up targeting the GSA organization. I did not know what the GSA organization was or meant.”
According to Gabby, her school heavily favors liberal LGBTQ values over Christian values, and she feels this is the true reason for her suspension, which is now making headlines across the nation.
She explained that her decision to put Scripture verses up had nothing to do with degrading or targeting the GSA, but rather it was an attempt to share the truth of the Gospel and the freedom that can be found through Jesus Christ.
“Seeing that there [were] people in my school that needed help and they don’t need to be living in the confusion of wondering if they should be gay, bi, lesbian, trans, anything like that, and I know that God is the only way that they can be healed by that, and that’s why I did it,” said Gabby. “I was not targeting any kind of organization or anything like that.”
When asked by the principal why she put up the Bible verses, she simply replied, “Because I wanted to spread the word of God.”
The principle then questioned whether or not the high school student had permission to put up the verses.
“I said, ‘No.’ I didn’t know you had to have permission because people do it a lot, putting Post-It notes on people’s lockers, so I just did it,” answered Gabby.
She proceeded to ask the principal why signs mentioning Jesus or God are “taken down right away” while “gay pride stuff” is posted everywhere without consequence.
She says even talk of Christain ideals is readily shut down in her school while LGBT issues are discussed openly with acceptance.
“Yes, there are clubs that are at my school which pray every Wednesday in the morning by the flag, but in my school they have a video announcement on Wednesday when you have team, it’s like once every month, and there is the gay club on that news that we watch, and you don’t see anything about God clubs or Christian clubs or anything like that,” shared Gabby.
Her mother has appealed the punishment, but as of now, Gabby will still be reporting to in-school suspension on Wednesday.
“I appealed the punishment stating ‘Posting a Bible verse is not abuse of others, disrespect/insolence/rudeness and in no way was it targeting GSA,’” said Tina. “But the school principal, Scott Butler, says ‘Gabby was targeting the GSA organization…’”
“Lebanon celebrates evil and punishes righteousness!!” wrote the infuriated mother.
When the school’s superintendent was asked to expound upon the school’s policy on religious expression, he did confirm that there is no restriction in the Student Code of Conduct regarding the posting of religious text or images. He added that religious clubs are permitted to gather and advertise on school grounds, so it’s unclear why Gabby is still facing punishment.
Administrators refused to discuss their disciplinary actions towards Gabby, stating they are unable to disclose this information about individual students.
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