The 17-year-old student government president and scholarship candidate was videotaped dancing at an off-campus party following Walker High School’s Sept. 30 Homecoming festivities. A hired DJ took the video and posted it on social media. Three days later, Jason St. Pierre, principal of the public high school near the state capital of Baton Rouge, told the student she would be removed from her position with the student government association and that he would no longer recommend her for college scholarships.
At a meeting in his office with the assistant principal, St. Pierre told the student she wasn’t “living in the Lord’s way,” her mother said, according to The Advocate. He printed out Bible verses with highlighted sections and “questioned who her friends were and if they followed the Lord,” the news outlet reported.
In a statement published Sunday on the Livingston Parish Public Schools district Facebook page, St. Pierre reversed course. Citing the significant public attention the episode had received and more time to consider his decision, the principal apologized to the student’s family and undid his previous disciplinary plans. He also addressed his invocation of religion.
I’d bet that there’s nothing left to sue for, since the principal walked it back and is going on leave.
It’s too late to reinstate the scholarship. They could sue for that. Also, the principal just admitted. Suing for 1A should be a slam-dunk.
If she lost scholarship opportunities because of this, absolutely.
If she’s still in the running for all the same scholarships, after the walk back, I don’t think there would be any “loss” to sue about there, and the walk back itself serves to “make her whole” with regard to 1A. Although I imagine that it’s possible that the whole set of circumstances could be argued to have negatively influenced scholship selection against her, and there could still be a punitive aspect. But I think either of those would be difficult cases to win, considering the substance of the walk back and seeking leave for the rest of the school year (at least).
According to the article, the deadline for the scholarship admission was October 3rd, so she missed out.
Ah I missed that in this article, and I didn’t remember it from previous ones.
Yes, lawsuit should be incoming.