Equal Access Act

Equal Access Act
Long title	Denial of equal access prohibited
Enacted by	the 98th United States Congress
Effective	August 11, 1984
Citations
Public law	20 U.S.C. § 4071
Codification
Titles amended	20
U.S.C. sections created	4071
Legislative history
	Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on August 11, 1984;
United States Supreme Court cases
	Westside Community Board of Education v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226 (1990)

The Equal Access Act is a United States federal law passed as Title VIII of the Education for Economic Security Act in 1984 to compel federally funded public secondary schools to provide equal access to extracurricular student clubs. Lobbied for by Christian groups who wanted to ensure students the right to conduct Bible study programs during lunch and after school, it is also essential in litigation regarding the right of students to form gay–straight alliances;^[1] and to form groups focused on any religion or on secularism.^[2] The Equal Access Act mandates public schools provide equal access to extracurricular school clubs.

^ Stewart, Chuck (2001). Homosexuality and the Law: A Dictionary. ABC-CLIO. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-1-57607-267-7.
^ "The Equal Access Act and Roadblocks to Organizing | Secular Student Alliance". Archived from the original on 2014-05-31. Retrieved 2014-05-30.

[1] Stewart, Chuck (2001). Homosexuality and the Law: A Dictionary. ABC-CLIO. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-1-57607-267-7.

[secularstudents.org-2] "The Equal Access Act and Roadblocks to Organizing | Secular Student Alliance". Archived from the original on 2014-05-31. Retrieved 2014-05-30.

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[2]