KC-area teen banned from graduation for Craigslist prank loses in court, won't walk

[pstokely]

Source: Kansas City Star

"ACLU officials claim the 18-year-old's free speech rights were violated when he was suspended for three days and denied participation in the graduation ceremony.

It was Scheele's choice of words that got him in trouble. His post also said, "The reason for the sale is due to the loss of students coming up." The "loss" referred to the students who would be graduating.

But district officials said that in a climate of frequent school shootings, they and some parents perceived the post as a threat. It was a parent who told Independence police he was looking at used baseball equipment when a picture of Truman High School for sale popped up.

But the ACLU contended in the lawsuit that "no reasonable person" would interpret "the satirical ad as a threat of mass murder.""

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article211961864.html

[Captain Stern]

1. That's just sad. There was not threat..implied, or otherwise. n/t

[Soxfan58]

2. You need to be paranoid

To get a threat from that.

[TheBlackAdder]

3. The assholes seem not to be PTA officers, but those wannabes who suck up to the PTA officers.

[Jake Stern]

4. He learned a valuable lesson from this

That life is full of thin skinned, paranoid Chicken Littles that see threats everywhere and in everything. There is nothing in this ad that makes me think this is a threat.

[marble falls]

5. The bright side of it....

No more pencils. No more books. No more teacher's dirty looks .....

[Oneironaut]

6. Ugh. There's nothing worse than the typical hypersensitive American cowardice that results from

tragedies. I'm referring to school shootings, 9/11, etc. Cue in the over the top reactions to innocent pranks, statements, etc. because "In this post-X world / current climate, you just don't say that!" It's so freaking stupid.

[Kaleva]

7. They ought to ban all students who have easy access to guns at home.

[Cold War Spook]

8. Sorry

but the first time I read it, it sounded just like a threat. Don't ask each other, ask the parents of children killed in other schools.