Students sue school for banning ‘let’s go Brandon’ sweatshirts: Media Miss

Apr 26, 2023

Shannon Longworth Reporter

By Shannon Longworth (Reporter), Ben Burke (Producer)

Two students from Tri County Middle School in Michigan are suing their school district for alleged viewpoint discrimination. The lawsuit alleges that an assistant principal and a teacher told the boys to remove sweatshirts with the phrase “let’s go Brandon” on them, as the apparel violated the school’s dress code and was “equivalent to” an expletive.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech nonprofit, is representing the two students in their complaint. The lawsuit claims that the school district and its employees are “censoring students who try to express support for former President Donald Trump or opposition to President Joe Biden,” and that the dress code’s wording allows for discriminatory enforcement.

The students and FIRE also provided another example of what they call censorship, citing an incident from the school’s field day in 2022 when a student wore a Trump flag as a cape. The assistant principal reportedly told the student to remove the flag but allowed other students to wear pride flags, expressing support for LGBTQ+ rights.

The students are seeking a permanent injunction to stop the district from banning “let’s go Brandon” apparel, as well as compensatory, nominal and punitive damages. The district has not commented on the complaint.

The Supreme Court has never ruled specifically on school dress codes, but it did uphold students’ right to freedom of speech and expression on school grounds in the 1969 case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. The court affirmed that high school students could wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War.

Straight Arrow News aims to identify when stories are being underreported on either side of the political aisle and media landscape. This story is a Media Miss for left-leaning outlets, with most sources reporting it being either right-leaning or center-oriented outlets, according to Ground.News.

Tags: Censorship, Donald Trump, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Free Speech, Joe Biden, Michigan, Supreme Court

SHANNON LONGWORTH: TWO STUDENTS ARE SUING A MICHIGAN SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION BASED ON THEIR VIEWS. ACCORDING TO THE LAWSUIT, THE STUDENTS WORE SWEATSHIRTS WITH THE PHRASE “LET’S GO BRANDON” ON THEM TO TRI COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL. AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND A TEACHER TOLD THE BOYS TO TAKE THE SWEATSHIRTS OFF, AS THEY VIOLATED THE DRESS CODE, CALLING THE APPAREL “EQUIVALENT TO” AN EXPLETIVE.

NOW, THE FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EXPRESSION—A FREE SPEECH NONPROFIT— IS REPRESENTING THE TWO STUDENTS. THEIR COMPLAINT SAYS THE APPAREL WAS NOT DISRUPTIVE AND THAT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ITS EMPLOYEES “ARE CENSORING STUDENTS WHO TRY TO EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP OR OPPOSITION TO PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN.”

THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THAT THE WAY THE SCHOOL’S DRESS CODE IS WRITTEN ALLOWS FOR DISCRIMINATORY ENFORCEMENT. IT “PROHIBITS APPAREL WHICH IS ‘DISRUPTIVE TO THE TEACHING AND/OR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT BY CALLING UNDUE ATTENTION TO ONESELF.’”

THE STUDENTS AND FIRE ALSO PROVIDE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHAT THEY CALL CENSORSHIP: ON THE SCHOOL’S FIELD DAY LAST YEAR, A STUDENT WORE A TRUMP FLAG AS A CAPE. THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL REPORTEDLY TOLD THE STUDENT TO TAKE IT OFF, BUT ALLOWED OTHER STUDENTS TO WEAR PRIDE FLAGS, EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ+ RIGHTS.

THE STUDENTS ARE SEEKING A PERMANENT INJUNCTION TO STOP THE DISTRICT FROM BANNING “LET’S GO BRANDON” APPAREL, ALONG WITH COMPENSATORY, NOMINAL AND PUNITIVE DAMAGES.

THE DISTRICT HAS NOT COMMENTED ON THE COMPLAINT.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, WHILE THE SUPREME COURT HAS NEVER RULED SPECIFICALLY ON SCHOOL DRESS CODES, IT DID UPHOLD STUDENTS’ RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. IN THE 1969 CASE, TINKER V. DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE COURT AFFIRMED THAT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COULD WEAR BLACK ARMBANDS TO PROTEST THE VIETNAM WAR.

THIS STORY IS CONSIDERED A MEDIA MISS, AS IT’S BEEN UNDERREPORTED BY LEFT-LEANING OUTLETS. HERE AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, WE BRING YOU STORIES FROM ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM.