The chair of the Orange County school board says he’s confident that the next principal at A.L. Stanback Middle School will move past the long controversy over the resigning principal’s two-year resistance toward a Gay-Straight Alliance club at Stanback.

“I expect to have a high-quality principal in that school, and I expect Dr. Burns to bring us a high-quality candidate for the board to vote on,” said Board of Education Chair Dr. Stephen Halkiotis, expressing his confidence in Interim Superintendent Dr. Del Burns.

This week’s announcement that Principal Gloria Jones will leave Stanback Middle School on Nov. 30 is fueling speculation that her resignation has something to do with the controversy over the Gay-Straight Alliance.

For more than two years, Jones was criticized for allegedly blocking the formation of GSA at Stanback. Her critics included students, teachers and counselors that supported the club, which offers counseling and other help to LGBT students. The students were finally allowed to meet at the end of the last school year.

One of her critics during that period was Halkiotis, in interviews with the Independent Weekly.

Both Halkiotis and school system spokesperson Seth Stephens said they could not speak about the reason for Jones’s resignation, citing state law regarding confidentiality. Jones did not reply to an interview request from WCHL.

The education chair said he’s received a lot of positive feedback from families in Hillsborough about speaking up for LGBT students.

He recalled one encounter that happened while he was shopping at Wal-Mart.

“The parents who came up to me were young people that I taught back in 1973 and `74,” said Halkiotis. “And these young parents, who have children who have said, you know, I am either gay or lesbian, I am transgender… you know, it brings a tear to my eye.

“They came up to me at Wal-Mart and said, ‘Thank you for speaking out on behalf of all children.’”

Back in June, former Board Chair Donna Coffey told The Independent Weekly that part of the problem is that Orange County Schools needs a clearer policy on forming clubs.

Halkiotis said Wednesday that the process is taking place. He said the school board’s policy committee meets once a month for about five hours. Members plow through old policies, revising some, and making sure they still comply with state and federal law.

“It’s like painting the Golden Gate Bridge,” said Halkiotis. “You finish revising policies – you know what? Like painting the Golden Gate Bridge, it’s time to start painting it again.”