MINNEAPOLIS—Attorneys for the Osseo, Minn., school district are appealing a federal court order that granted a student-run gay rights group at Maple Grove Senior High the same privileges that were extended to other extracurricular clubs.

The appeal was filed Oct. 25 with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The district is appealing whether U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen abused her discretion by issuing a permanent injunction on Sept. 25 that puts the group Straights and Gays for Equality, also known as SAGE, on equal footing as other groups.

Two students, their parents and SAGE claimed in 2005 that the suburban district violated the Equal Access Act, which holds that public schools must extend the same privileges to all student-organized, non-curricular clubs.

SAGE contended that groups including synchronized swimming, cheerleading and the Black Achievers were allowed to publicize meetings over the public address system and have access to school facilities, but members of SAGE were consistently denied such requests.

The school district argued that these groups were given such access because they were labeled as “curricular”—meaning their activities related to the school’s curriculum.

Ericksen disagreed.