A North Carolina family is taking Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to federal court after officials allegedly targeted their daughter for painting a message supportive of slain conservative leader Charlie Kirk on her high school's spirit rock.
The complaint accused the school district of censoring the student's message and repeatedly violating her constitutional rights.
The student, a junior at Ardrey Kell High School, painted the rock with permission from a staff member, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Charlotte Division, by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
According to the legal advocacy group, the student, her parents and two fellow students painted the rock with the words "Freedom 1776" and "Live Like Kirk — John 11:25" around 4 p.m. on Sept. 13 after receiving permission to do so in a brief phone call the previous day.
The complaint stated that school officials abruptly labeled the completed artwork as "vandalism," scrubbed the pro-Kirk message from the rock, and claimed law enforcement had been notified to open a criminal investigation.
Soon after the incident, the parents say officials pulled their daughter from class, pressured her to write a statement about the incident, and forced her to show them her phone logs without obtaining permission from her parents or informing her of her rights.
They also allege the school stonewalled their attempts for weeks to correct the record before later announcing publicly that no investigation had ever occurred.
"No student should be censored, punished, and shamed by school officials simply for sharing her views," ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham said in a statement. "Charlie Kirk boldly defended open and respectful discourse on school grounds literally until his last breath, and this courage inspired many across the country, including the student who painted the message on Ardrey Kell High School's spirit rock."
According to the lawsuit, the district implemented new guidelines for the spirit rock in the wake of the controversy — guidelines the family argues were created specifically to restrict pro-Kirk or conservative viewpoints. The filing notes that previous political and social messages, including Black Lives Matter slogans, had been displayed without issue.
It further claims members of the school board made clear their personal disdain for Kirk throughout the process.
Barham said the "situation goes beyond irony … as school officials illegally censored and threatened students for sharing a widely held message with which they happened to disagree."
"We are urging the court to hold the officials responsible for violating students' constitutional rights to free speech, free exercise of religion, and due process," he added.
Newsmax reached out to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Newsmax wires contributed.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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