Add The California Post on Google School administrators at a San Diego High School are being accused in a federal lawsuit of retaliating against two students for expressing pro-Trump views at a February 6 anti-ICE rally on campus.
The suit, against Torrey Pines High School, also alleges admin falsely reported one of the students to police, who ended up in an overnight psychiatric hold.
In the federal complaint from Aug. 19, one student, referred to as M.F., says he and a co-plaintiff, referred to as A.F., attended to express their contrary viewpoints.
To make his point, M.F. brought a small printout to the demonstration that spelled out “LGBT” using different images: the Statue of Liberty above the “L,” a rifle above the “G,” a glass of beer above the “B” and a photo of President Donald Trump above the “T,” according to the La Jolla Village News.
The lawsuit says M.F. returned to class after the rally still carrying the flyer. When his teacher saw it, she became upset and immediately left the classroom.
Three days later, Torrey Pines High School Assistant Principal Angela Guerrero called M.F. and another student into her office and told them they would each receive two days of detention for bringing the flyers to the demonstration and for allegedly “frightening” other students, according to the complaint.
But the situation escalated later that week when M.F. was called back to the office by himself and confronted with far more serious accusations.
School officials accused the teenager of making “disturbing searches” on a public school computer, including “how to load a Glock,” “how to load a magazine” and “how to dispose of a body,” according to the lawsuit.
M.F. denied making the searches and said students could easily tamper with one another’s computers because access was not protected, the La Jolla Village News reported.
The complaint says Guerrero ultimately sided with M.F. and allowed him to return to class.
The following day, however, five or six police officers arrived at the school and questioned the teenager, according to the lawsuit.
“School officials refused to allow M.F.’s parents to see him, instead requiring them to speak with a crisis social worker,” the complaint states. “The crisis social worker stated that [M.F.’s teacher] requested the police because the searches made Defendant [Theresa] Barnes feel ‘scared’ and ‘unsafe.'”
Police then took M.F. to a mental health facility, where he was held overnight on a 5150 psychiatric hold, according to the federal complaint. Police also searched his home and bedroom but found nothing, the lawsuit alleges.
“M.F. did not research how to load a ‘glock,’ did not confess to murder, was not watching homicide videos, and did not target the LGBT community. The claims were completely false, as school officials were fully aware,” the complaint states.
M.F. was not charged, but his attorneys allege the fallout continued for months after the Feb. 6 anti-ICE protest. According to the lawsuit, he was prevented from playing on the varsity baseball team, required to meet with counselors and asked to undergo testing for “Special Education placement and ongoing mental health monitoring.” The complaint also alleges administrators referred to him as an “LGBT bully.”
The allegations come amid a broader dispute over how Torrey Pines High School has handled political speech surrounding immigration enforcement.
Earlier this year, hundreds of students participated in an anti-ICE walkout at the school, carrying signs that included messages such as “ICE is KKK spelled differently.” Weeks later, a 17-year-old junior was suspended for posting pro-ICE flyers reading, “We love I.C.E. – Real Americans.” The San Dieguito Union High School District later removed that suspension from the student’s record following pressure from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE.
Attorneys for M.F. now argue his treatment reflects the same alleged double standard, accusing the district of punishing conservative or pro-law-enforcement speech more harshly than opposing political views.
“[T]he District’s disparate treatment of M.F… reflects a custom, practice, and/or policy at the District of disciplining students who express politically conservative or pro-law-enforcement viewpoints more severely than students who express the contrary viewpoint, for materially similar or less serious conduct,” the complaint states.
San Dieguito Union High School District spokesperson Edwin Mendoza declined to address the specific allegations, citing student privacy and the pending litigation, according to a statement to La Jolla Village News.
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