14-04-2025
"Black Lives Matter" posters taken down at Lakeville schools; district settles lawsuit
Lakeville schools have taken down "Black Lives Matter" posters at district facilities and have agreed to a settlement on a lawsuit over the signs, according to the district.
The school board ordered the around 3,000 posters be taken down across all buildings in the district during spring break, which was between March 30 and April 4.
No teacher was required to put any of the posters up, but some parents had complained that that teachers were not given options of slogans like "All Lives Matter" or "Blue Lives Matter."
A 2022 lawsuit, according to the Upper Midwest Law Center, had argued the school district's selective policy violated the First Amendment rights of Bob and Cynthia Cajune, Kalynn Kay Aaker and her children.
The plaintiffs, who were represented by the Minnesota-based law firm, agreed to settle with the district on April 8 after the posters were taken down.
"Because that was what the plaintiffs had sought in the lawsuit," the firm said in a release, "they agreed to dismiss their claims in the settlement in return for the District paying $30,000 in legal fees to the Upper Midwest Law Center."
There were eight variations of the posters, but two of them had the term "Black Lives Matter."
The cost to design and print them was more than $10,000, according to the district.
In January, the school board
voted 4-to-3 to remove the posters
, but Superintendent Michael Baumann said at that time they would remain in place until a future poster series is ready.
The school district said the following in response to the settlement:
Note: The above video first aired on Jan. 29, 2025.
