BUZZ
ANALYSIS: Parents, student protesters, and school officials want/give sanctions for legitimate political speech made on student’s own time
The captain of a California public high school football team was disciplined for posting the comment “Free the Cornell 7” on his personal Instagram at the beginning of this month.
The “Cornell 7” are members of a Cornell University fraternity who in a recent civil suit stand accused of rape from an incident two years ago.
According to The Press Democrat, after receiving blowback for the post, the Piner Junior-Senior High School captain stood his ground, adding to the post “details around defendants’ rights under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments,” excerpts from articles about the case, and writing to critics “Y’all don’t scare me. ‘Cancel him.’ ‘He supports rape.’ Grow up.”
As reported by KRON-4, Santa Rosa Schools Public Information Officer Patrick Gannon said the captain had been “reprimanded,” adding that “action was taken by the school and the district, and we’re continuing to have conversation.”
“We don’t tolerate making light of sexual assault, Gannon said. “That’s why we have a zero-tolerance policy.”
The captain’s post resulted in a student walk-out protest on October 9 in which “more than 200” participated. Students carried placards reading “End rape culture” and “My freedom begins with my body,” and wore t-shirts “covered in red and teal handprints symbolizing victims of sexual violence.”
The protesters demanded “consequences” for the football captain and “greater support from school administrators for students who speak out against sexual violence.”
The following day Piner forfeited its football game, but according to the coach this was due to a lack of “healthy linemen.” Nonetheless, an anonymous parent told the Press Democrat that the team captain was “barred from a team dinner” on October 8.
The KRON-4 report notes parents expressed concerns about their daughters’ safety, as well as satisfaction that disciplinary action was taken against the captain.
“For children who look up to him and see him as somebody to emulate, said Piner parent Arieta-Andreia Mulligan. “You need to represent yourself in a way that holds yourself up to a standard. I’m happy that some disciplinary action was taken.”
Parents, student protesters, and district officials alike don’t seem to grasp the difference between behavior at, or related to, school functions, and a political comment of legitimate public concern made on one’s own time.
One parent complained “I know [the school] can bench somebody for missing an assignment, for talking back to somebody.” A student protester was irked school officials appeared more concerned about the logistics of the student walk-out than the captain’s comments.
As George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley recently wrote, “As should be obvious to any teacher or administrator, [the captain’s post] is entirely protected speech under the First Amendment.”
And, if based on his post the captain indeed researched the Cornell case, he knows there remain many questions. And if he researched this, perhaps he also knows about the Duke lacrosse case and the University of Virginia rape hoax — both of which whipped up demonstrators’ fury just like those of his peers now.
MORE: Cornell frat case exposes hypocrisy of liberals when it comes to ‘justice’
