A federal appeals court in New York has agreed that Connecticut school officials acted reasonably and constitutionally when they disciplined a student for an Internet posting she wrote off school grounds.
The 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals in Manhattan sided with Burlington, Conn., school officials. They punished Avery Doninger by preventing her from serving as class secretary as a senior.
The court said administrators at Lewis B. Mills High School acted reasonably after she made the 2007 posting criticizing administrators for canceling a popular school activity.
Doninger sued the administrators, alleging violation of free speech and equal protection rights. A lower judge also said school officials were entitled to immunity.