Santorum Assembly Only Open to South Students

Rick Santorum's speech will be open to Grosse Pointe South High School students only, district spokeswoman Rebecca Fannon said late Friday.

The event will not be open to parents and/or North High School students, she said.

There will be an after school forum, however, with Santorum that will be open to the public, according to information posted by Grosse Pointe Public School trustee Judy Gafa. 

During last week's school board meeting, the student leaders of the local chapters of Young Americans for Freedom who are responsible for initiating Santorum's visit requested the district open the assembly to North students and to parents.

Santorum's speech is scheduled to happen during the school day in South's gymnasium and the schools are not open to the public during the school day.

There has been discussion related to hosting the event after school hours since district officials began questioning the content of the speech, which led to the cancelation of the event. That decision was rescinded the following day and the speech was reinstated. 

When first presented with the idea of having Santorum speak after school hours so it would be an event that could be attended by anyone, the student leaders declined to make such a change, they previously told Patch. 

More details are to be released today by district officials. 

According to the information posted by Gafa, the after school hours forum is the result of communication between Santorum and district officials as well as Santorum changing his flight to accomodate the extra appearance. 

The visit by Santorum has sparked national attention and a variety of reactions. Some are supportive of the speech and question why district officials would not welcome such an accomplished person in an educational environment. Others believe Santorum's speech should have happened after school hours and never should have been considered for the school day. 

Meanwhile, district officials have established a security plan with Grosse Pointe Farms Department of Public Safety to handle Santorum's visit and any potential issues that arise as a result. 

Patch will be updating this story during the day. Check back for updates. 

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