GraniteGrok reported Tuesday on a court case involving the Exeter School District. It involves a student who played on the school football team and was punished for telling another student that he refused to use improper pronouns when addressing trans students. It was argued that the student had free speech rights, and the punishment for exercising his views violated his civil rights. The case was lost in the lower court, but the legal team for the student indicated that they were going to appeal to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
I spoke to the boy’s mother the day this incident happened. I helped her find legal representation and thank Cornerstone Action and Rick Lehmann for their legal assistance. I remember clearly when the school personnel began lying about why this boy was punished.
My heart sank knowing that the people in this school would be lying in court over this incident. What does that tell the family who believes their son’s religious and civil rights were violated? What does that tell the entire SAU16 community? The judge could see through the lies, and for that, I’m grateful.
Every taxpayer and parent in this district should be outraged by the facts of this ruling.There were multiple people involved in this lie. How does a school’s legal team, paid for by the taxpayers in SAU16 take this to court?
I will remind you that this happened during Superintendent David Ryan’s tenure. Ryan has since resigned and now works in Hinsdale/SAU92, as their Superintendent. The school board might want to take note of all of this.
How much money are taxpayers willing to waste on this case? The school got off on a technicality and will now be taken to the Supreme Court. They owe this boy an apology.
If you say nothing to the SAU16 school board, then you are giving them approval to waste your property tax dollars on lawsuits like this. You are saying, lying to children and a judge, is ok in your school district. Your school board is there to hear from you, make your voices heard.
This case goes to the Supreme Court Next. I look forward to being there to support the family.
Judge Mocks School’s Defense in ‘Two Genders’ Case, but Legal Loophole Lets Exeter Off Hook
EXCERPT:
Rockingham Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman quoted the band Buffalo Springfield (“There’s battle lines being drawn; Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong”) and the movie “Casablanca” in his 18-page ruling that blasts school officials for their dishonest testimony.
Exeter High School Assistant Principal Marcy Dovholuk and Football Coach William Ball both testified during last year’s bench trial that the boy was suspended from the football team because he used supposedly inappropriate language like “bozo” and “STFU” in a text conversation and not because he allegedly misgendered another student.
AND
Attorney Richard Lehmann, who represents the student and his mother, called Schulman’s ruling a partial victory because the judge found the facts favor his client, even if the law does not.
“My clients won this case on everything but the law. The court believed their testimony and did not believe the testimony of school officials when they said that they did not take any action against my client because he expressed his beliefs,” Lehmann told NHJournal.
