WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a ruling in America First Legal’s (AFL) lawsuit against Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) and its senior administrative officials, which found that school officials who blocked users with dissenting viewpoints on controversial, political topics from the Montgomery County Public School’s “Staff Pride” Twitter account may have violated the First Amendment.
AFL filed this lawsuit against MCPS in November after school officials blocked users from the “Staff Pride” Twitter account and restricted public access to a school board meeting after MCPS added twenty-two LGBTQ-themed books to the curriculum and denied parents the option to opt out.
The court’s ruling is significant, as it demonstrates that school bureaucrats and activists working in our nation’s education system — whether teachers or administrators — cannot silence critics and dissenting voices simply because they don’t agree with their viewpoints.
AFL remains committed to defending freedom of speech and ensuring that our nation’s school systems, administrative officials, and educators are accountable to the families and communities that they serve.
Read the decision here.
Read more information about the case.
Photo Credit: Adobe Stock Images / Vasyl