'Tennessee High School Student: Principal Assaulted Me for Wearing T-Shirt Supporting Gay-Straight Alliance'

Tennessee High School Student: Principal Assaulted Me for Wearing T-Shirt Supporting Gay-Straight Alliance

October 4, 2011

ACLU Demands Protection for Students’ Rights to Free Speech

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

MADISONVILLE, Tenn. – A 17-year-old senior at Sequoyah High School was reportedly shoved, bumped in the chest and verbally harassed by his principal last week for wearing a T-shirt in support of efforts to establish a gay-straight alliance (GSA) club on campus. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Tennessee sent a letter to the school district today demanding that students’ rights to free speech be protected in the classroom.

The ACLU has been assisting the student, Chris Sigler, in his and other students’ efforts to overcome resistance from school officials to establish a GSA. Principal Maurice Moser had previously threatened to punish students who circulated petitions about the club.

“It is totally unacceptable that a young man who was peacefully exercising his First Amendment rights would have his speech shut down by the public school principal,” said Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee. “Last week’s incident clearly illustrates the hostile environment LGBT students face at Sequoyah High School. Given this context, it’s especially important that supportive voices like Sigler’s can be heard in order to overcome the school’s resistance to a GSA.”

Sigler wore a homemade T-shirt to school last Tuesday that said “GSA: We’ve Got Your Back.” A teacher ordered Sigler to cover up the shirt in the future. Sigler, knowing he had a right to wear the shirt, wore it again Friday, and resisted an order to remove the shirt. Sigler says that Moser then ordered all students out of the classroom, except for Sigler’s sister Jessica, who refused to leave. According to both students, Moser then grabbed Sigler’s arm, shoved him, and chest-bumped him repeatedly while asking “Who’s the big man now?” Sigler’s mother reported that when she arrived at the school, she saw her son seated in a desk with Moser leaning over him and shouting in Sigler’s face. The Siglers filed a report about the incident that afternoon with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.

“All I want is to have a GSA at my school to help stop the bullying against gays and lesbians and their friends who support them,” Sigler said. “The shirt was a way to use my voice and show my support for the club. The way I was treated shows even more why we need a GSA here.”

“All students deserve a safe and respectful learning environment. Harassment, abuse or censorship of any student – regardless of sexual orientation – is absolutely reprehensible as well as illegal,” said Amanda Goad, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. “We expect the police to investigate this quickly and fairly, and take statements from all witnesses who were present.”

The demand letter to the school district can be viewed here:
http://www.aclu.org/free-speech-lgbt-rights/letter-director-monroe-county-schools

The ACLU of Tennessee's associated alert can be viewed here:
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6147/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4824

CeCe wrote:Unless defending himself, the principal has NO right to put his hands on a student. He should be fired.

Several weeks ago, several students at Sequoyah High School in Madisonville, Tennessee organized to form a Gay Straight Alliance at their school to address years of anti-LGBT bullying of youth on campus. At the beginning of the school year, Principal Maurice Moser ordered students to stop circulating a petition in support of the new club. Last week, Principal Moser assaulted a pro-GSA student in the group named Chris Sigler.

The latest incident started last Tuesday when Sigler wore a t-shirt that read "GSA: We've got your back" to school. A teacher directed him to cover the shirt when he wore it in the future. Knowing that he had a right of free expression to wear the shirt, Sigler wore the shirt again on Thursday. When he did so, Principal Moser ordered all students out of the classroom, except for Sigler’s sister Jessica, who refused to leave. Both Chris and Jessica Sigler allege that Moser grabbed Sigler’s arm, shoved him, and chest-bumped him repeatedly while asking “Who’s the big man now?” When their mother, Linda Sigler arrived she at the school, she reporting finding her son seated in a desk with Moser leaning over and shouting in Sigler’s face.

The Sigler family filed report about the assault which is being investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff's Department. Deputies interviewed Chris Sigler, his teacher and Principal Mosby, but did not question Jessica Sigler who witnessed the entire incident. Given the level of intimidation and hostility that GSA-supportive students have experienced in recent weeks, TEP believes that the Sheriff is not fully and fairly investigating the assault of Chris Sigler by his Principal by leaving a key witness out of the investigation.




http://www.change.org/petitions/demand-a-full-fair-investigation-of-sequoyah-high-school-student-assault

Kral wrote:The principal needs to be fired and fined. How do things like this even still happen?

Kral wrote:How do things like this even still happen?