A high schooler’s record has reportedly been expunged after he was suspended for posting pro-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flyers on his campus in San Diego, California.
Torrey Pines High School leadership disciplined the junior in February when he posted the flyers that read “We [heart] ICE — Real Americans,” telling Fox News he believes in ICE’s mission, wants government leaders to enforce U.S. immigration laws, and also hoped to share an opposing viewpoint to the anti-ICE rhetoric he said was coming from students, teachers, and administrators at his school, the outlet reported Friday.
School officials reportedly told the student his flyers contained “fighting words” and they were “unacceptable.”
The legal group known as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) stepped in and said the flyers were posted in common areas with opposing viewpoints.
In its announcement Wednesday, FIRE said its intervention caused the school district to expunge the junior’s suspension. The group also noted two weeks before the junior posted his flyers, students staged a walkout to protest ICE.
“They held posters displaying statements including, ‘If You’re an I.C.E. Agent Ya Mom’s a Hoe!!,’ ‘FUCK ICE,’ and ‘ICE is KKK spelled differently,'” FIRE stated.
However, when the student secured representation from its litigators the school agreed to erase the suspension, FIRE said.
FIRE Supervising Senior Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick stated, “School administrators can’t pick and choose which opinions students are allowed to express. Voicing an opinion which makes others upset is not ‘harassment’ or ‘intimidation,’ it is American democracy in action.”
“We’re pleased the school has erased the suspension and will be watching closely to ensure the school respects its students’ First Amendment rights. The law is clear: Public schools must allow students to peacefully express their political opinions,” he added.
The school district’s leadership has not explained why it reportedly reversed the action against the student, according to Newsmax.
Torrey Pines High School Principal Rob Coppo announced March 12 he was stepping down from his position and “requested a reassignment within the San Dieguito Union High School District,” the Del Mar Times News reported March 17. The article noted his announcement came on the heels of the student’s suspension.
Coppo claimed it was “inaccurate” that a student would face suspension when it came to their political leanings, the Del Mar Times article read, adding, “Coppo said he was aware of the posts claiming that he had ‘resigned’ due to this controversy but said he chose not to engage.”
In a statement to Fox, the San Dieguito Union High School District said its leadership has not and does not discipline students over their political beliefs but supports their right to express their views.
“Nevertheless, we note that schools do have rules that govern student conduct and campus safety, including policies that prohibit discrimination and harassment. The District applies these rules fairly and impartially to help provide and ensure a safe learning environment for all students,” the district claimed.
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