NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. (RNS) The family of a middle school student who was told to turn an anti-abortion T-shirt inside out will receive $16,000 for legal fees as part of a settlement reached with the local school board.
The settlement also calls for the district to change its dress and student-expression policies.
The student’s father, William Boyer, had filed a lawsuit in federal district court claiming his son, identified as E.B. in the suit, was unfairly censored last September when he was told to turn his homemade “Abortion is not healthcare” T-shirt inside out.
In January, the West Shore School Board approved the changes to the dress code to ban only clothing with “obscene pictures, gestures or words.” The student expression policy was amended to ban anything that promotes illegal drug use; is lewd or offensive; or disrupts schoolwork, classes or activities.
“Public schools should not censor pro-life students for their views,” said David Cortman, an attorney with the Christian legal group Alliance Defense Fund, which represented the student’s family.
“School district officials have done the right thing in recognizing this young man’s First Amendment right to express his beliefs. We commend the revision of their unconstitutional policies so that students can engage in free speech protected by the First Amendment.”
Ryan Argot, a spokesman for the school board, said, “From an economic standpoint, a settlement of this matter is warranted and has been recommended by counsel for the district.”
