Tennessee student sues school after he was suspended for posting mocking memes of his principal

‘The school has no business jumping in and acting as a censor,’ lawyer says

A Tennessee student is suing his school district after he was suspended for posting mocking memes of his headteacher on social media.

The 17-year-old student from Tullahoma has filed a lawsuit after he was suspended for three days after posting images depicting his headteacher as a cat in a maid’s outfit, among others, on Instagram.

“This case is about a thin-skinned high school principal defying the First Amendment and suspending a student for lampooning the principal on the student’s Instagram page even though the posts caused no disruption at school,” the suit said, according to NBC.

A lawyer representing the student, who has not been named, said that the images posted to social media – which took the headteacher’s head and placed it on different pictures – were “simply gently satirising a school administrator who was perceived as being a bit overly serious”.

Lead attorney Conor Fitzpatrick commented to The Guardian: “One of the main things we’re trying to do here is cement the rights of American students to express themselves on social media, without fear of censorship, as long as what they’re expressing doesn’t disrupt the school day.

A student has shared memes on Instagram mocking his principal (USDC Tennessee Winchester)

“The school has no business jumping in and acting as a censor. If something they post … might be inappropriate, that’s a matter for their parents – not the government,” he added.

The suit also argues that the images were not posted by the student while he was on school property, despite the school policy stating that “whether at home or school,” students should not post pictures to social media that lead to “the embarrassment, demeaning, or discrediting of any student or staff”.

However, the suit claims the school’s policy is overreaching and in breach of the First Amendment.