Thread: Oregon teen sues to wear pro-Trump border wall shirt (update)

BY JACQUELINE THOMSEN - 05/22/18 02:57 PM EDT

A high schooler in Oregon is suing his school for the right to wear a T-shirt supporting President Trump’s proposed border wall after a school administrator asked him to cover it up or go home.

The Oregonian reported that Addison Barnes, a senior at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Ore., is suing the Portland-area school, its principal and the Hillsboro School District, claiming the request violated his First Amendment rights.

The shirt in question reads "Border Wall Construction Co." and features Trump's signature along with the message, "The wall just got 10 feet taller."

Barnes is requesting an injunction blocking the district from enforcing school dress codes "in a manner inconsistent with" the First Amendment and an order allowing him to wear the shirt to his high school. He is also seeking an undisclosed amount of money in damages, according to the lawsuit.

The Hillsboro School District declined to comment to The Oregonian about the lawsuit.

The senior claims that he wore the shirt earlier this school year to his “People and Politics” class, during which students were going to discuss immigration.

Assistant Principal Amanda Ryan-Fear reportedly pulled Barnes out of the class and told him to cover the shirt because it had offended a teacher and at least one other student, according to the court documents.

He initially covered the shirt, but uncovered it a few minutes later. The administrator then sent a security guard to take Barnes out of class and bring him to her office.

Ryan-Fear reportedly told Barnes she could suspend him for “defiance” and gave him the choice to cover up the shirt for the rest of the day or go home.

Barnes went home, and his departure was initially marked as a suspension. A few days later, Barnes and his father met with Ryan-Fear and Liberty High School's principal, Greg Timmons, during which Barnes was told not to wear the shirt to school again or risk being suspended.

"The First Amendment protects students' right to speak on political or societal issues — including the right to express what school officials may consider unpopular or controversial opinions, or viewpoints that might make other students uncomfortable," the lawsuit states.

The filing also notes that another side of the immigration debate was permitted to be expressed in the school, with a teacher displaying a sign that read "Sanctuary City, Welcome Home" outside of the classroom.

"By muffling one side of the debate while allowing the other side to magnify their voice with a megaphone, Defendants' actions constitute viewpoint-based discrimination," the lawsuit reads.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefi...mp-border-wall