March 19, 2024

ACLU defends speech of NHS student, demands action from school district

The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa is representing a Newton High School student, following an incident in which the student was asked to wash “love trumps hate” off his arm in November.

The student’s message was one of love and acceptance and protected by the First Amendment, said the ACLU, which sent a letter of demands to the Newton Community School District.

In the letter, the ACLU demands that NHS provide training to all teachers and students regarding the freedom of speech rights of students in school.

“To ensure that those rights are protected, it is important that faculty and staff are properly instructed on the First Amendment rights of students and that internal school policies are reviewed and understood,” the letter read.

The school district issued a public statement acknowledging the ACLU’s actions.

“The district takes all such allegations seriously, and is conducting an investigation. The district will take other responsive action as appropriate. The district is committed to providing its students with a safe and positive learning environment,” said Superintendent of Schools Bob Callaghan.

NHS Principal Bill Peters said the school is gathering information.

According to the ACLU’s report, the transgender student was belittled by NHS teacher Brian Smith. Smith repeatedly called the student “girl,” contradicting the student’s gender identity and escorted the student to the assistant principal’s office.

Assistant Principal Dave Kalkhoff told the student to wash the message off his arm or leave the school grounds, according to the ACLU report.

In addition to demanding education on the First Amendment, the ACLU’s letter to the district demands that the school issue a formal letter of apology to the student.

Contact Justin Jagler at 641-792-3121 ext 6532 or jjagler@newtondailynews.com