Latest news with #MadisonMiddleSchool
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Bartlesville police confirm investigation at Madison Middle School
Amid an ongoing police investigation into "allegations" at Madison Middle School, Principal Joey Eidson has resigned, district officials confirmed Wednesday. Bartlesville Police denied escorting any personnel from school grounds on March 28, despite social media rumors that suggest Eidson had been removed from the campus. Eidson has not been charged with any crime. 'No one has been arrested or charged with a crime,' the department said in a statement. 'The Bartlesville Police Department has been made aware of allegations that reportedly happened at Madison Middle School. Those allegations are currently under investigation.' Bartlesville Public Schools declined to comment directly on the investigation. It remains unclear what allegations the investigation is pursuing. 'We have no comment on active investigations other than that we routinely cooperate with our police department to prioritize the safety of our students and staff,' the district said Friday. As of Wednesday morning, Eidson was no longer listed in the school's online staff directory. The district confirmed that the school board is expected to consider his resignation at a meeting at noon on April 9 at and possibly appoint Assistant Principal Brent Massey as the new principal. The district said that it does not comment on active personnel matters unless required by the Oklahoma Open Records Act, which covers final disciplinary actions such as suspension, demotion, or termination. Attempts to reach Eidson for comment have not been successful. This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville police investigating Madison Middle School allegations
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dad claims son was harassed by staff for wearing 'Let's Go Brandon' shirt, sues school district
A father has filed a lawsuit against an Ohio school district he claims "punished" his son for wearing a "Let's Go Brandon" T-shirt to school. The lawsuit, obtained by Fox News Digital, alleges a teacher and principal at Madison Middle School in Mansfield violated a student's First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to due process when he was punished for wearing the shirt to school several times. The first incident happened in November, according to the lawsuit, when the boy wore the T-shirt beneath a flannel shirt in a hallway before class had started. A teacher, identified as a registered Democrat in the complaint, allegedly made the boy button up the shirt to cover the message, telling him, "I know what that means." Michigan School District Faces Lawsuit After Forcing Students To Remove 'Let's Go Brandon' Sweatshirts The next incident happened later in the day, when the boy attended the same teacher's class. Read On The Fox News App The student reportedly removed his flannel to cool off, but when the teacher noticed the T-shirt again, she issued the boy a "pink slip" and sent him to the principal's office for discipline. According to the complaint, the principal "demanded" the boy wear the flannel for the rest of the day and "never again wear an item communicating the content of this speech." Ufc Star Praises Trump, Desantis, Leads Crowd In 'Let's Go, Brandon' Chant A third incident occurred when the student wore the same T-shirt again in January, when the teacher who was involved in the November incidents noticed and pulled him aside and asked, "Do you like offending people?" according to the complaint. "That's not my problem, nobody has to read my shirt," the boy responded, and the teacher allegedly gave him a "dirty look" and walked away. The principal later met with the boy and his father, Richard Conrad, and claimed the phrase is "code" for a vulgar expression. However, his father argued he does not interpret the slogan that way. A fourth incident happened when the boy was given detention by the principal for wearing the T-shirt to school again March 24. The school emailed the father about the boy's "repeated violations" of the student code of conduct, which it said is set by the board of education. The complaint alleges the school's dress code is "unconstitutionally vague" and gives individual employees too much discretion in enforcing it. Arizona Marine Vet Who Disarmed Robbery Suspect Accepts Heroism Award In 'Let's Go Brandon' T-shirt The "Let's Go Brandon" catchphrase, used by American conservatives to criticize Biden, originated in October 2021. The phrase originiated during a NASCAR interview and is a G-rated substitute for "F--- Joe Biden" chants popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. The explicit saying was recited at sporting events across the country in defiance of the president's coronavirus mandates. Conrad's lawsuit claims the phrase is "a popular expression of certain people's opinions toward the American media and politics" and is not vulgar. Madison Local School District Superintendent Robert Peterson told Fox News Digital he was aware of the lawsuit but could not comment on any details since it's being actively litigated. Titleist Blocks Customers From Personalizing Golf Balls With 'Let's Go Brandon' In 2023, two students who were prohibited from wearing clothing with the same phrase to school filed a lawsuit against their Michigan school district. The district and its employees were "censoring students who try to express support for former President Donald Trump or opposition to President Joe Biden," according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which describes itself as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought," represented the Tri County Middle School students who sued the school district for viewpoint discrimination after they were ordered to remove sweatshirts they wore to school that featured the phrase in February 2022. In a similar situation to Conrad's, an assistant principal and a teacher "ordered the boys to remove their sweatshirts" for allegedly violating a dress code while allowing other students to wear other political apparel like "gay-pride-themed hoodies," according to FIRE. "Criticism of the president is core political speech protected by the First Amendment," FIRE attorney Conor Fitzpatrick previously said. "Whether it's a Biden sticker, 'Let's Go Brandon' sweatshirt or Gay Pride T-shirt, schools can't pick and choose which political beliefs students can express." FIRE said the incident involving the two students is part of a "pattern of political favoritism" by the school district that it is "wrongly relying on a policy that prohibits 'profane' clothing to censor this particular message." "When the school district relaxed the dress code for field day, a school administrator ordered a student to stop wearing a Trump flag as a cape but permitted other students to wear gay pride flags in the same manner," the group said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. "The slogan exists as a way to express an anti-Biden message without using profanity," Fitzpatrick said. "A public school district cannot censor speech just because it might cause someone to think about a swear word." Fox News Digital's Andrea Margolis and Kyle Morris contributed to this report. Original article source: Dad claims son was harassed by staff for wearing 'Let's Go Brandon' shirt, sues school district
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dad claims son was harassed by staff for wearing 'Let's Go Brandon' shirt, sues school district
A father has filed a lawsuit against an Ohio school district he claims "punished" his son for wearing a "Let's Go Brandon" T-shirt to school. The lawsuit, obtained by Fox News Digital, alleges a teacher and principal at Madison Middle School in Mansfield violated a student's First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to due process when he was punished for wearing the shirt to school several times. The first incident happened in November, according to the lawsuit, when the boy wore the T-shirt beneath a flannel shirt in a hallway before class had started. A teacher, identified as a registered Democrat in the complaint, allegedly made the boy button up the shirt to cover the message, telling him, "I know what that means." The next incident happened later in the day, when the boy attended the same teacher's class. The student reportedly removed his flannel to cool off, but when the teacher noticed the T-shirt again, she issued the boy a "pink slip" and sent him to the principal's office for discipline. According to the complaint, the principal "demanded" the boy wear the flannel for the rest of the day and "never again wear an item communicating the content of this speech." A third incident occurred when the student wore the same T-shirt again in January, when the teacher who was involved in the November incidents noticed and pulled him aside and asked, "Do you like offending people?" according to the complaint. "That's not my problem, nobody has to read my shirt," the boy responded, and the teacher allegedly gave him a "dirty look" and walked away. The principal later met with the boy and his father, Richard Conrad, and claimed the phrase is "code" for a vulgar expression. However, his father argued he does not interpret the slogan that way. A fourth incident happened when the boy was given detention by the principal for wearing the T-shirt to school again March 24. The school emailed the father about the boy's "repeated violations" of the student code of conduct, which it said is set by the board of education. The complaint alleges the school's dress code is "unconstitutionally vague" and gives individual employees too much discretion in enforcing it. The "Let's Go Brandon" catchphrase, used by American conservatives to criticize Biden, originated in October 2021. The phrase originiated during a NASCAR interview and is a G-rated substitute for "F--- Joe Biden" chants popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. The explicit saying was recited at sporting events across the country in defiance of the president's coronavirus mandates. Conrad's lawsuit claims the phrase is "a popular expression of certain people's opinions toward the American media and politics" and is not vulgar. Madison Local School District Superintendent Robert Peterson told Fox News Digital he was aware of the lawsuit but could not comment on any details since it's being actively litigated. In 2023, two students who were prohibited from wearing clothing with the same phrase to school filed a lawsuit against their Michigan school district. The district and its employees were "censoring students who try to express support for former President Donald Trump or opposition to President Joe Biden," according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which describes itself as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought," represented the Tri County Middle School students who sued the school district for viewpoint discrimination after they were ordered to remove sweatshirts they wore to school that featured the phrase in February 2022. In a similar situation to Conrad's, an assistant principal and a teacher "ordered the boys to remove their sweatshirts" for allegedly violating a dress code while allowing other students to wear other political apparel like "gay-pride-themed hoodies," according to FIRE. "Criticism of the president is core political speech protected by the First Amendment," FIRE attorney Conor Fitzpatrick previously said. "Whether it's a Biden sticker, 'Let's Go Brandon' sweatshirt or Gay Pride T-shirt, schools can't pick and choose which political beliefs students can express." FIRE said the incident involving the two students is part of a "pattern of political favoritism" by the school district that it is "wrongly relying on a policy that prohibits 'profane' clothing to censor this particular message." "When the school district relaxed the dress code for field day, a school administrator ordered a student to stop wearing a Trump flag as a cape but permitted other students to wear gay pride flags in the same manner," the group said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. "The slogan exists as a way to express an anti-Biden message without using profanity," Fitzpatrick said. "A public school district cannot censor speech just because it might cause someone to think about a swear word." Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dad sues Madison Local Schools, claiming son was punished for ‘Let's Go Brandon' shirt
[Watch in the player above: Gen Z mirrors millennials on social and political issues.] CLEVELAND (WJW) — A Richland County school district infringed on a student's right to free speech by punishing him for repeatedly wearing a T-shirt to school that reads 'Let's Go Brandon,' alleges a new federal civil rights lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed in Ohio's Northern District federal court by Richard Conrad Jr. on behalf of his son, a student at Madison Middle School in Mansfield, alleges violations of the boy's First Amendment right to free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment right to due process. Dow drops 1,500 in worldwide sell-off following Trump's tariff shock It names as defendants the Madison Local School District, each of its five board of education members, the middle school's principal and a teacher, and seeks an injunction to stop their 'custom of treating free speech as a punishable offense.' The first incident happened in November. The boy wore the T-shirt beneath a flannel shirt in a hallway before class had started, according to the complaint. A teacher — whom the complaint identifies as a registered Democrat — made the boy button up the shirt to cover the message, telling him, 'I know what that means.' The phrase 'Let's Go Brandon' became a right-wing meme in 2021, and refers to a profane denouncement of former President Joe Biden. Conrad's lawsuit claims the phrase is 'a popular expression of certain people's opinion toward the American media and politics' and isn't vulgar. The boy later took off his over-shirt to cool off, before attending the aforementioned teacher's class, according to the complaint. When the teacher saw the shirt again, she issued the boy a 'pink slip,' referring him to the principal for discipline. The school district's 2024-25 student handbook states clothing with 'obscene, violent or suggestive language or images' is considered 'non-appropriate dress,' though it notes the school's principal 'has the final say on appropriate attire.' Students who violate the dress code are allowed to call their parents to have them bring them new clothes to school, according to the handbook. They can't return to class until they're wearing proper clothes, and their absence is unexcused. Subsequent violations 'may result in additional consequences,' the handbook reads. The principal 'demanded' that the boy wear the over-shirt for the rest of the day and to 'never again wear an item communicating the content of this speech,' reads the complaint. When the boy wore the shirt to school again in January, the teacher named in the complaint pulled him aside and asked, 'Do you like offending people?' 'That's not my problem, nobody has to read my shirt,' the boy replied, according to the complaint. NE Ohio woman reports losing $250K in scam The principal later met with Conrad and his son. The principal said the phrase is 'code' for a vulgar expression. But Conrad said that's not how he interprets it. When the boy wore the shirt again on March 24, the principal gave him detention. The school sent an email to Conrad regarding the boy's 'repeated violations' of the student code of conduct, which is set by the board of education. The complaint alleges the code is 'unconstitutionally vague' and gives individual employees too much discretion in enforcing it. It also cites a 1969 U.S. Supreme Court case related to black armbands students wore while protesting the Vietnam War, which held that students don't lose their First Amendment rights when on school property. The ruling required school administrators to determine the speech would interfere with school operations, according to the complaint. Madison Local School District Superintendent Robert Peterson said the district became aware of the lawsuit on Wednesday. He declined to comment on the lawsuit on Thursday, as it's being actively litigated. School officials have been issued summonses, court records show. No future court dates have been set. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
