Students from 31 West Virginia high schools have pledged to remain silent at school on Friday, April 25, in memory of a California eighth-grader who was shot to death in February after revealing that he was gay.

But several anti-gay groups are urging parents to keep their children home from school that day if they find out students plan to observe the "Day of Silence" at their school.

"Our read on the whole event is, it's not a suitable event for schoolchildren to participate in," said Bill Brooks, president of the North Carolina Family Policy Council. In his state, a Charlotte school board member has proposed that students who stay home on the Day of Silence should get excused absences.

Students at the University of Virginia held the first "Day of Silence" 12 years ago. Students themselves spread it to nearly 4,000 K-12 schools and colleges nationwide, said Daryl Presgraves, spokesman for the New York-based Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which became the organizational sponsor of the event in 2001. Individual students can register their participation on GLSEN's Web site, dayofsilence.org.

Some students hand out cards explaining that their silence is "calling attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies."

"It's completely student-led," Presgraves said. "It is a day students are empowered to say they're not going to take it anymore, and they want their school to be safe for everyone."

This year, the day also memorializes eighth-grader Lawrence King. He was shot in the head at his middle school. His 14-year-old schoolmate, Brandon McInerney, has been charged with murder and will be tried as an adult, the Los Angeles Times reported. Prosecutors allege it was a hate crime.

"By taking a stand against the Day of Silence, our organization is not saying by any stretch of the imagination that we endorse bullying and harassment," said Linda Harvey of Mission America, a Columbus, Ohio, organization. "The problem is, that is not what this is all about. ... There are a lot of homosexuality issues in schools trying to ride on the coattails of legitimate discrimination.

Students from 31 West Virginia high schools have pledged to remain silent at school on Friday, April 25, in memory of a California eighth-grader who was shot to death in February after revealing that he was gay.

But several anti-gay groups are urging parents to keep their children home from school that day if they find out students plan to observe the "Day of Silence" at their school.

"Our read on the whole event is, it's not a suitable event for schoolchildren to participate in," said Bill Brooks, president of the North Carolina Family Policy Council. In his state, a Charlotte school board member has proposed that students who stay home on the Day of Silence should get excused absences.

Students at the University of Virginia held the first "Day of Silence" 12 years ago. Students themselves spread it to nearly 4,000 K-12 schools and colleges nationwide, said Daryl Presgraves, spokesman for the New York-based Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which became the organizational sponsor of the event in 2001. Individual students can register their participation on GLSEN's Web site, dayofsilence.org.

Some students hand out cards explaining that their silence is "calling attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies."

"It's completely student-led," Presgraves said. "It is a day students are empowered to say they're not going to take it anymore, and they want their school to be safe for everyone."

This year, the day also memorializes eighth-grader Lawrence King. He was shot in the head at his middle school. His 14-year-old schoolmate, Brandon McInerney, has been charged with murder and will be tried as an adult, the Los Angeles Times reported. Prosecutors allege it was a hate crime.

"By taking a stand against the Day of Silence, our organization is not saying by any stretch of the imagination that we endorse bullying and harassment," said Linda Harvey of Mission America, a Columbus, Ohio, organization. "The problem is, that is not what this is all about. ... There are a lot of homosexuality issues in schools trying to ride on the coattails of legitimate discrimination.

"I have many African-American friends and conservative pro-family leaders I know that are outraged that homosexuality is being used in the same way as race relations. They are in no way the same."

Mission America maintains a list on its Web site of schools in every state where it expects students will participate in the Day of Silence, based upon the existence of Gay-Straight Alliance chapters in the school, participation in prior years and news reports. Other organizations have been circulating the list via e-mail in West Virginia and other states, and they all encourage parents to keep their kids home if they find out the Day of Silence will be observed at their school.

"There's a great deal of pressure that comes from these types of events to conform - to go along with the crowd," Brooks said. "Students shouldn't have that kind of pressure put on them. Especially this kind of program, where they're encouraged to be civilly disobedient against the school."

No school administration ever organizes a Day of Silence, Presgraves said. "Schools do not endorse the Day of Silence, they do not sponsor the Day of Silence and they often do not support the Day of Silence." The GLSEN Web site includes a legal Q&A about students' First Amendment right to participate in the Day of Silence.

Opponents argue that students who refuse to speak disrupt the class. To prevent that problem, Presgraves said some students are pledging to remain silent only before and after school and during lunch.

"Most schools endorse the rights of students to express themselves. It's a very good civics lesson," he said. "Quite frankly, doing it silently - we actually think it enhances the educational process."

Besides, he said: "It's kind of hard for a school to go up to a student at lunchtime and demand that they speak."

To contact staff writer Tara Tuckwiller, use e-mail or call 348-5189.