A high school principal in an outer suburb of Cincinnati is facing the possibility of a lawsuit after he censored six out of seven flyers submitted for display on campus by the Students for Life club.
The principal is Matthew Turner of Larry A. Ryle High School in Union, Ky.
The Ryle High Students for Life club member who presented the flyers to Turner is senior Patrick Edwards.
The flyer fracas began in August when Turner deemed the six flyers “too controversial,” according to a statement provided to The Daily Caller by Students for Life of America, a national pro-life organization.
One of the flyers Turner rejected as “too controversial” includes a quotes from Steve Jobs.
Another features Mother Teresa happily holding a baby:
Two more feature cartoon images of a baby panda and a baby whale holding signs printed with the words “Save the Humans.”
Through a local law firm, Students for Life of America has delivered a demand letter to Turner. The letter charges that the principal unconstitutionally discriminated against Edwards and the other Ryle Students for Life members.
The demand letter gives school officials until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20 to reverse the censorship decision. Otherwise, the lawyers for Ryle Students for Life warn, “we will move forward with litigation to protect the fundamental rights of students at Ryle High School.”
“The law does not permit a principal to ban speech simply because, in his subjective opinion, the speech is too controversial,” Kyle Winslow, one of the local attorney representing Students for Life, said in a statement.
Students for Life of America president Kristan Hawkins criticized Ryle High’s rejection of the flyers.
“By actively denying Patrick his right to put up pro-life flyers on behalf of the Ryle Students for Life club because they promote the pro-life message is outright discrimination,” Hawkins said.
Edwards said he believes his group has been singled out unfairly.
“Other student clubs and students have been allowed to post flyers taking various positions and I was specifically told my flyers could not be posted because the issue was too controversial,” the senior said.
Turner, the principal, is standing by his decision to repress pro-life imagery featuring a whale, a panda and Mother Teresa.
“We believe the policies we have in place are in full compliance with the law,” he told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “We don’t discriminate against students or student organizations or students with opinions.”
The one Students for Life flyer Turner, the principal, did approve features other flyers which have been tolerated at Ryle High include one featuring Anne Frank, a Jewish victim of the Holocaust.
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