Four Missouri students who were punished after stating a “petition” to restart slavery are suing their Kansas City school district for civil rights violations.
The petition from the Park Hill South High School began in September on social media. But the students dismissed the petition as “banter.” They claimed they were “joking” about slavery and needing a job.
Three other students, who were suspended, commented, “I love slavery,” “I hate blacks,” and “I want a slave,” on the post, the lawsuit claims.
One of the biracial students was expelled and the three other students were suspended for 180 days.
According to the lawsuit, the students are from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. One is a biracial student, Black and Brazilian. Two of the students are white and another biracial student is white and Asian. A Black student also involved was not punished.
The lawsuit includes the school district, the school’s principal, the members of the Park Hill School District Board of Education, the district’s superintendent, and the district’s director of student services.
Citing the students’ First Amendment, the teens allege that the district violated their right to due process and equal protection rights. They are asking to be reinstated and that the incident be removed from their school records.
The Park Hill School District released the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
“As this lawsuit describes, we took prompt, decisive action to enforce our policies prohibiting discrimination, harassment and uncivil behavior. The suit shares that we expelled one student and suspended three others for 180 days. We will be able to share further details when we respond to this lawsuit in court,” the statement to Fox4 reads.
Their attorney feels differently.
“Fourteen-year-olds sometimes unwisely shoot their mouths off, instantly regretting it but causing no harm, no disruption,” attorney Arthur Benson II, who is representing the students, said in a statement. “But here it was adults who unwisely over-reacted, causing the disruptions and they are now trying to strip these boys of their entire ninth grades.”
