Change.org - Art teacher suspended

A Texas middle school suspended an art teacher who oversaw the yearbook club—censoring her and her students. Their 2020-21 yearbook cover reflects events of the year—including messages of “Black Lives Matter” and “Love is Love.” But because of the backlash of a few community members, the art teacher was unduly punished. Now, Stephanie is taking a stand to protect students and teachers from disciplinary action over their freedom of expression. Petition to Cease the Unjust Censorship & Treatment of LISD Students & Educators 4,574 have signed Stephanie Mae’s petition. Let’s get to 5,000!

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On May 17th, 2021 a middle school in the Lewisville Independent School District published its yearbook encapsulating the 2020-2021 school year. The design of the yearbook was overseen by the art teacher and yearbook sponsor, Mrs. Kayla Mick, but artwork and content were decided upon by the students on the yearbook staff. The artwork chosen represents major events in our community and around the world including the documentation of racial inequality protests, COVID-19, the 2020 presidential election, and support of basic human rights. Yearbooks are time capsules, meant to snapshot the events of the time, which this work did. They are not endorsements or political statements but reflections of the time period. After the yearbook was published, some members of the community and many unconnected to LISD protested the design and demanded the resignation of both the principal and teacher. LISD chose to discipline Mrs. Mick by suspending her — forcing her to vacate her classroom, prohibiting her from interacting with students and parents, and missing the last week of school (including saying goodbye to her 8th-grade students and participating in end-of-the-year activities). The action taken by the district sends the wrong message to our students. Censorship in journalism simply because you disagree with the content is not only unacceptable, it’s dangerous. As decided in Tinker v. Des Moines: “Students and teachers do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate" We ask that the district take no further disciplinary action against Mrs. Mick or the Downing MS principal as well as ensure that our students’ right to free speech as afforded by the first amendment will not be infringed upon.

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