Ga. House: Parents must OK clubs kids join

ATLANTA -- The Georgia House passed a bill Wednesday that would require students to notify their parents before joining school clubs, a measure that gay rights advocates say will discourage students from joining gay organizations.

The bill, approved 143-25, would also allow parents to block their children from joining clubs they do not approve of. A similar measure is pending in the Senate.

The House oversees schools and is obligated to help parents find out "what's going on with their children," said Republican Rep. Bobby Reese, the bill's sponsor.

The bill originally would have required schools to get written permission from parents for children to join clubs.

The legislation gained traction last February after students at White County High School tried to form a gay-straight alliance. The school board agreed to allow the club, but administrators recommended eliminating all extracurricular clubs.

Calls to Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue's office on where he stands on the bill were not immediately returned.