(The Center Square) – “Live Like Kirk,” the message painted upon a spirit rock at a Charlotte high school, did not violate school rules and is costing the respective school district $95,000 in a litigation settlement and an embarrassing lesson learned in the court of public opinion.
At Ardrey Kell High, parents of a student filed the federal lawsuit in December against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. The message, along with a reference to John 11:25 in the Scriptures and “Freedom 1776,” was right after Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah.
In the complaint, the parents say the student was approved to paint the rock and the school painting over the message violated her constitutional rights. A new policy and public clearance of wrongdoing by the student were also in the terms of the settlement.
“The policy committee along with our legal department are confident we have a policy that provides clarity and guidance for each of our school leaders that allows students to exercise their first amendment rights while minimizing incidents that could cause disruption,” said Board of Education Vice Chairman Gregory “Dee” Rankin, also the chairman of the board’s policy committee.
The painting didn’t last 24 hours, according to published reports. Then, the lawsuit says, the student’s phone logs were checked by the district and accusations of vandalism were levied. The district later said the rock was not vandalized and there was not a criminal investigation.
Kirk was shot to death at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. He was the founder of Turning Point USA and known for active engagement in civil debate with those in disagreement with him.
Alliance Defending Freedom, based in Arizona, represented the family.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.