A “Make America Great Again” T-shirt in support of Trump. (Photo source: Internet)
A New Jersey school district will pay $325,000 to a retired teacher who was forced by school authorities to make a computer edit to remove a Trump logo from a student’s shirt in the school yearbook, several media outlets reported Thursday, March 18.
The Wall Township school district will reach an agreement next Tuesday (March 23) to pay retired teacher Susan Parsons a settlement of $325,000, the Associated Press (AP) reports. A copy of the agreement says the school district did not admit it acted wrongfully.
Parsons was a yearbook adviser for the school district, NJ Advance Media reported. She said that in 2017, she was approached by a high school principal’s secretary who asked her to remove the words “Trump Make America Great Again” from a student’s shirt in the school’s yearbook photo. She was told that it “had to be removed.” She reluctantly did so and made the student’s shirt look solid dark blue.
In her lawsuit, Parsons claims the Wall Township School District used her as a “scapegoat” (for Trump hatred) and created a hostile work environment for her, even leading to death threats. She had to conceal her political views after receiving hate mail and phone calls.
Parsons said, “My Life is not the same, and I don’t think it will ever (go back to the way it was).” She believes her rights have been violated because she was also banned from talking to the media.
Parsons also said that in 2019, she received a $25,000 settlement from another lawsuit, the one that challenged the school district’s policy. The policy prevented her from talking to the media about her views. But the school district did not acknowledge in the settlement that that policy was in error.
Parsons argued that the district often asked her to make changes to yearbook photos, including any images or text or gestures on shirts that could cause backlash. She disputed those changes, arguing that “yearbooks should reflect the truth.
Event review.
On June 9, 2017, NJ Advance Media published a story titled “Student’s Trump shirt blacked out in high school yearbook. Following the report, the school issued a statement saying it was investigating the matter and condemning any censorship of students’ political views.
Wall Principal Cheryl Dyer wrote a letter to the students’ Parents stating that she was “investigating allegations of censorship and possible violations of First Amendment rights in this year’s high school yearbook.
She also said in the letter, “Two parents let me know about …… their child’s dress code being changed and comments or quotes not being published.” “In all cases that I am aware of, references to and support for President Trump were removed.”
“There is nothing in our Student Dress Code that prevents students from expressing their political views and support for candidates through appropriate attire. On the contrary, I applaud students for their political involvement and participation in our democratic society …… The high school administration does not understand, nor does it condone, any censorship of our students’ political views …… Once the investigation is complete, those involved will be dealt with immediately. ”
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