Four West Virginia middle school students who said they were punished after protesting against transgender athletes last month were granted a temporary injunction and will be able to protest at future meets without fear of reprisal, WDTV said.
The four students sued the Harrison County Board of Education following their April 18 protest against 13-year-old transgender athlete Becky Pepper Jackson, a student at Bridgeport Middle School and an advocate for students competing in sports that match their gender identity, according to WDTV.
The protesting students got into a circle and then "scratched," abandoning the event prior to participating. The students were told they were suspended from their next meet on April 27, WDTV said.
At the hearing, Lincoln Middle School track coach Dawn Riestenberg testified that if a student voluntarily opted out of participating in an event, they would not be allowed to compete in the next event, according to WDTV, and it had nothing to do with protests.
The rule was never written down, though Riestenberg said she told the students the rule at the beginning of the season. At the hearing, two students disputed that claim, according to WDTV.
The injunction prevents the school from enforcing the scratch rule at future meets, WBOY said.
In a statement, the Harrison County Board of Education said Riestenberg and Principal Lori Scott were aware the students would likely protest and there was no retaliation against the protesters.
"Those students, like all of the other students on the team, however, were subject to a team rule that any player who scratches in an event cannot participate in that event at the next track meet," the district said in a statement. "This neutral, school-specific rule was in place before the students' protests and has nothing to do with those protests in any way. Other than not being permitted to participate in the same event in which they scratched at the next track meet, the students have competed in track meets and events following their protests without restriction."
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey applauded the students who protested and said he had their backs.
"These girls didn't disrupt anything when they protested," Morrisey said in a statement. "They should be commended, not punished. We need to teach them that it is noble to stand firm in their beliefs and address their grievances within the protections guaranteed by our Constitution."
The students have another meet against Bridgeport Middle School next week, WDTV said.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.