Date: Mon, 10 Oct 1994 17:48:54 -0500 (CDT) From: Kevyn D Jacobs Subject: Phelps Children to be Rewarded for Protests Phelps Children May be Rewarded by School for Anti-Gay Activities by Doug Glaze The children of the Reverend Fred Phelps may be given credit for participating in their father's protests against Lesbians and Gays under a program of U.S.D. 501 in Topeka where they attend school. The school district rewards students who volunteer for community organizations, churches, businesses, or individuals by listing these activities on their transcript as a community service, a spokesperson in Superintendent Joe Zima's office said Friday. On Wednesday, October 5, KTKA-TV Channel 49 in Topeka aired a story saying the children had filled out the necessary paperwork asking that participation in their father's anti-Gay protests be listed as a community service and placed on their transcript. KTKA reported that school officials had rejected the application on the grounds that the form had been improperly filled out. A spokesperson in Superintendent Zima's office said Friday that the Phelps children had re-applied and that no decision had yet been reached as to whether the children would be granted credit for participating in their father's protests. The spokesperson said they expect a decision on whether or not to grant the request by sometime late this week, and would not speculate on whether a student volunteering for a Lesbian/Gay community organization would be granted approval under the program until a statement on the program was released. Phelps is a preacher at Westboro Batptist Church in Topeka, a church he runs out of his own home and which consists mainly of family members. Phelps regularly pickets outside local businesses and institutions he believes are sympathethic to Lesbians and Gays with signs that say "Fag Lovers" and "Death to Fags." Phelps has also picketed at the funerals of those he believed died of AIDS, saying he believes Gay men spread the disease intentionally. The Phelps children are regular participants in such picketing, which has garnered the family national attention on ABC's "20-20" program and in the Advocate magazine.