Could an alliance between gay and straight students help in the battle against bullying?

One Lake County student thinks so, and she now has the support of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

Wednesday, the ACLU said it intervened on behalf of Bayli Silberstein, an eighth-grader spearheading the effort to establish a gay-straight alliance at Carver Middle School, in Leesburg.

A gay-straight alliance, or GSA, is a student organization aimed at stopping bullying, harassment and discrimination, particularly against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.

But according to the ACLU, Silberstein has faced resistance from her school's administrators.

"The bullying at our school has gotten out of hand, and somebody needs to do something about it," said Silberstein in a statement released Wednesday by the ACLU.

Silberstein and her mother reached out to the union after getting no follow-up response over the last year.

Carver Middle School's previous principal denied the initial request to establish the club. The ACLU said the school's current principal acknowledged the potential utility of the club, but told Silberstein she had to consult with the school board first.

The ACLU sent a letter Wednesday to the Lake County superintendent and school board attorney, saying it was their legal obligation to allow the club to form under the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act.

"Creating an atmosphere in which bullying and violence are not tolerated and everyone is valued and respected will help make all students better citizens and better equipped for participation in the workforce that is comprised of people from all walks of life," the letter said. "By protecting students' right to form a GSA, you are not only obeying the law and avoiding potential legal liability, you are promoting school safety and helping address the serious problem of anti-LGBT bullying."

Last year, the ACLU reached a settlement in a similar case against the Marion County School Board, which was ordered by a judge to officially recognize a GSA at Vanguard High School, in Ocala.

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