North Carolina Teen Sues School for Erasing Her Charlie Kirk Tribute And Calling it 'Vandalism'

A North Carolina high school student painted her school's 'spirit rock' with a religious and patriotic tribute to the murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Later, she was accused of vandalising by the same school and was told that law enforcement was investigating her.

Shared first with Fox News, the junior student at Ardrey Kell High School's complained that the school allowed her to do her paint tribute as long as the message did not contain any vulgarity or political speech.

Student Paints Tribute for Charlie Kirk and Got Hit with Vandalism

The complaint mentions that she and her two friends went ahead to paint a heart and an American flag with the words 'Freedom 1776', and a tribute to Charlie Kirk that says: Live Like Kirk—John 11:25. The students also wrote their first names on the rock.

However, school officials covered the rock within hours after the students had painted it. On Sept. 14, the principal informed the whole school that the spirit rock had been painted with an unauthorised message. The letter referred to the incident as vandalism and a breach of the student code of conduct and said that law enforcement had been contacted and that an investigation was underway. Stout that day also sent a message to the school officials confirming that she had painted the rock and that the front office had given her permission.

Alienated and Threatened

The following school day, she was taken out of her class and sent to the principal's office where she was interrogated and ordered to write a statement about what she had done. She was also told to revise it after she forgot to include the Bible verse in her emotional state. It is said that she was asked to hand over her cell phone for a search without being informed of her rights or having legal counsel present.

The complaint indicates that since the event, she has been experiencing health issues due to the stress and feeling of being alienated. The complaint further states that for about six weeks, a group of students and other people online were sending mocking messages and jokes about the idea of her and her friends being sent to jail. She and her friends were also labeled 'racist thugs' online and were threaten with 'Die like Kirk' messages.

School Responds to Teen's Allegations

Later that day, the district released a new policy for its Spirit Rock Speech Code that prohibits political or religious messages. Messages from then on must reflect 'positive school spirit', 'inclusive values' and be in 'good taste'.

On Oct. 11, the school district sent an internal message to the Ardrey Kell High School community to clarify the principal's statement of Sept. 14. The message described the incident with the spirit rock as 'not an act of vandalism', 'not a violation of the student code of conduct' and noted that 'law enforcement was not contacted to conduct an investigation'. That day, the principal informed the teen's mother that the investigation is now closed and that she would not be facing any disciplinary action.

However, the teen included in her complaint that the school announcement did not acknowledge the fact that she was forced to prepare a written statement while not informing her of her rights. She also called out their lie for saying they did not contact a police. Her parents say that despite their repeated requests, the school board has refused to publicly clear their daughter's name.

Did the School Violate Freedom of Speech?

Initiated by Alliance Defending Freedom, the lawsuit accuses the school of violating her rights under the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution. The complaint now requires the school to issue a public statement recognising the violation of these rights, to remove all negative information from her school records and to issue a formal letter of apology.

Besides this, it requests that the school cease the alleged vandalism and the revised Speech Code activities related to the spirit rock, arguing that the policies in question facilitate discrimination against a particular point of view. The parents of the teenager are now petitioning the court to grant them nominal and compensatory damages for the infringements of their constitutional rights, along with attorneys' fees and expenses, and any other relief the court may consider appropriate.