According to CNN, the girl claims she was "'intimidated, frightened, humiliated and sobbing while she was detained in the small school room' as she watched a counselor, a deputy, and another school employee pore over her private communications."
The "interrogation" of the student stemmed from an incident where the girl wrote on her Facebook wall that hall monitors in the school were being "mean" to her and that she hated them, which the school determined was enough justification to demand a review of all her private communications.
The ACLU says that the Minnewaska School District violated the student's First Amendment right to free speech and her Fourth Amendment right to privacy and protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
"Students do not shed their First Amendment rights at the school house gate. The Supreme Court ruled on that in the 1970s, yet schools like Minnewaska seem to have no regard for the standard," said Minnesota's executive director for the ACLU in a statement about the case.
The school district maintains that its actions were "reasonable and appropriate."
Reader Comments
And they are notorious for ignoring constitutional rights of students and parents. I am not surprised that they are being sued. Their enrollment has dropped dramatically last year and this year. I saw this coming when I withdrew my own child. It's about time someone puts these Stepford fools in their places.
How is it reasonable and appropriate to intimidate a Child???? Frightening Children is the arena of psychopaths, sociopaths and narcissists who all exist purely to fuel their own ego. They go about their daily lives with no empathy or remorse for their actions.
I want to see this Child win the legal battle - more power to her and her family. Standing up to people in positions of authority is a courageous act on its own but when the people in authority exhibit the psychopathological traits of the mentally ill - capable of lying with impunity - that takes a lot of courage.
Much Peace...to all the frightened Children everywhere...
I hope she wins!