FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2011
CONTACT: Amy Miller, (402) 476-8091,
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Brian Jorde, (402) 493-4100
Judge Says Students Can Have Their Day in Court
Ruling Allows Students to Defend Commemoration of a Deceased Friend
"The best education helps students deal with life's difficult moments," said ACLU Nebraska Legal Director Amy Miller. "Millard Public Schools lost that opportunity when students’ right to commemorate a deceased friend was taken away."
Julius Robinson, close friend of the Kuhrs, was killed in summer of 2008. The Kuhrs made many commemorative items, including t-shirts and wristbands, to honor Robinson and help his family raise money to cover funeral expenses. School officials objected to the t-shirts and wristbands citing alleged links between Robinson and gangs therefor arguing anything related to Robinson was also gang-affiliated. Twenty-six students were suspended for their efforts to express their freedom of speech.
"Judge Smith-Camp recognized students do not 'shed their constitutional rights...at the schoolhouse gate,’" said cooperating lawyer Brian Jorde of the
"When a school oversteps their authority to say what is acceptable expression using unclear and arbitrary guidelines, then a school is taking a student's time and energy away from the classroom," said Miller. "The court found there was no disturbance to the learning environment until the school started censoring the memorial shirts."
No date has been set for the trial. Read a copy of the ruling or other cases related to students rights at www.aclunebraska.org.
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ABOUT: ACLU Nebraska and its diverse membership works in courts, the legislature and our communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States and Nebraska guarantee everyone in this state.
 Kuhr order denying SJ.pdf | [ ] | 1045 Kb |
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