Judge Grants Order Allowing High Schooler To Wear TRUMP BORDER WALL Shirt

Federal Judge Michael Mosman granted a temporary restraining order that allows Addison Barnes to wear his “Border Wall Construction Co.” shirt to school. A senior at the ironically named Liberty High School, Barnes is now suing the school after he was suspended for wearing the shirt earlier in the year.

KATU News reports:

A US District Court Judge granted a temporary restraining order Tuesday, allowing a Hillsboro student to wear his pro-Border Wall T-shirt to school — for now at least.

Addison Barnes filed a lawsuit earlier this month, claiming officials at Liberty High School infringed on his constitutional rights by asking him to either leave class or cover up his T-shirt, which read: “Donald J. Trump Border Wall Construction Co. – The Wall Just Got 10 Feet Taller.”

Barnes wore the T-shirt earlier this year in a People and Politics class at Liberty High School in Hillsboro. He was taken out of his classroom by the school’s assistant principal, who told him his shirt offended at least one student and the teacher.

The boy was given a choice — either cover the shirt, or leave the school. He briefly covered the shirt and went back to class, but then, believing his First Amendment rights were being violated, uncovered the shirt.

The school’s assistant principal then sent a security guard to remove Barnes from class. His absence was counted as a suspension.

The school’s error is so egregious that even the ACLU is siding with the student, issuing this statement to KGW News:

“The school clearly crossed the line when it required a student to remove a T-shirt that voiced support for Donald Trump’s border wall or face a suspension. This shirt is mean spirited, but it isn’t a “disturbance” under First Amendment case law.

It is disappointing that Liberty High School decided to censor the student instead of inviting the student body to discuss immigration, the freedom of speech, and the impacts of xenophobic rhetoric. Schools have a responsibility to teach our youth how to engage in thoughtful conversations about difficult and potentially offensive subject matters. Censorship doesn’t work and often just elevates the subject the government is trying to silence.”

The initial complaint filed by Barnes via his attorneys can be seen here:

Addison Barnes v Liberty High School Complaint by Anonymous 4U5g0bkNQH on Scribd

Amanda Ryan-Fear, the assistant principal who took issues with Addison Barnes’ pro Trump shirt, courtesy of her now-removed Twitter page.

Amanda Ryan-Fear, the Liberty High School assistant principal who ordered the school’s “security monitor” to escort Barnes out of class, submitted her “declaration” to the courts regarding the matter. In the declaration, she admits that other students have skipped classes to attend protests, stating In May 2016, Liberty High School students participated in a walkout and sit-in at the high school in support of the state wide walkouts caused by the “Build a Wall” sign displayed by students at Forest Grove High School. and In February 2017, approximately 200 Liberty High School students  participated in a sit-in protesting the federal stance on immigration and their fears and concerns about the impact that it will have on themselves, their family members, and their friends.She mentions no punishments for those students who blatantly violated school policies and possibly truancy laws.

Amanda Ryan-Fear Declaration by Anonymous 4U5g0bkNQH on Scribd

It’s possible that Amanda Ryan-Fear, Principal Greg Timmons, and the school “security monitor” all committed the crime of Coercion. The statute, ORS 163.275, states that a person commits the crime of Coercion if the person “compels or induces another person to engage in conduct from which the other person has a legal right to abstain, or to abstain from engaging in conduct in which the other person has a legal right to engage”, by means of instilling fear in the other person. Coercion is a Class C Felony in Oregon.

 

 

Thanks for sharing!