MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A principal at Tennessees largest school district is suing over his suspension following comments to students about fallout from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Full-time Teacher, John Calley (Assistant Coach) (SBG) High school principal Barton Thorne, who was suspended last month over comments he made about free speech in the wake of the Capitol riot, is returning to work for the first time in six weeks. In his remarks, Principal Thorne expressed concern about the ways social media companies are shutting down debate on critical issues of the day and encouraged students to talk with their parents or teachers about the ramifications of these actions on the First Amendment and free speech. Well, what happens when the marketplace of ideas becomes a forced monopoly? Thankfully, theyre letting Principal Thorne back into the school and return to do what he loves, which is teach his students, Suhr said. Barton Thorne is principal of Cordova High School. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 The comments he made endorsed no political or religious points of view, and are widely accepted in public education curriculum, including in Shelby County Schools. He pointed out that American history is rife with examples of small groups of people deciding what others should hear. Virginia parents argue school ambassador program is discriminatory. During his over 9-minute-long video comments, Thorne expressed concerns about times in American history where a small group of people decided what you can hear, according to atranscriptprovided by the Liberty Justice Center. The only violation of Shelby County School guidelines was made by the district itself, when it breached Thornes contractual rights by placing him on administrative leave for teaching his students the classic American principles of free speech and democratic self-government. Principal Thorne used this moment to talk to his students about the importance of free speech in a democratic society. Nothing in his video was factually incorrect, or even wrong, but it was simply wrong think; so the Shelby County School system placed him on administrative leave. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The video addressed the dangers of the Big Tech Giants censoring speech. Suspended Cordova High School principal files lawsuit against district - News Channel 3 Memphis . Daniel Suhr, managing attorney at Liberty Justice Center appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss the vaccine mandate challenges being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 7. Linda A. Moore. Shelby County Schools needs to acknowledge the damage to Principal Thornes reputation and make sure that students know that his message was both appropriate and right free speech is important in our society. Shelby County Schools is the largest public school district in Tennessee and is one of the 25 largest nationwide. The principal has retained legal counsel from the Liberty Justice Center, a national public interest law firm that defends constitutional rights. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Full-time Teacher, Dustin Sikes (Assistant Coach) A Tennessee high school principal is on administrative leave after he told students they should be alarmed by the recent crackdown on free speech on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. But every American should be concerned about a cultural trend to get rid of voices that disagree with popular viewpoints. CORDOVA HIGH SCHOOL 1800 Berryhill Road Cordova, TN 38016 Main Office: 416-4540 School Fax: 416-4545 Barton Thorne, Principal thornebl@scsk12.org Mary DeGruy, Vice Principal degruymm@scsk12.org SCHOOL DIRECTORY Attendance Office: 416-2085 Guidance Office: 416-2120 Registration: 416-2143 Records: 416-2119 Bilingual Mentor, Ivan Borgos - 416-2145 After the tragic and disturbing events of January 6, 2021, our country experienced a teachable moment around the importance of free speech and the dangers of cancel culture and deplatforming as social media moderators reacted to the content of various accounts. Full-time Teacher (Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images). The audio of Thorne's remarks, which. Follow us onTwitteror subscribe to ouremail list, Barton Thorne, until recently the principal of Cordova High School in Memphis, Tennessee, was suspended after speaking to students about the dangers of big tech censorship. Full-time Teacher, Charles Cooper (Head Coach) Email: mail_hide("212820", "warnerdk", 0, "gro.21kscs") By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. NYC Begins Tracking Household Food Consumption in Carbon Climate Struggle, Police Searching Transgender Colorado Teenager Planning School Shooting Found The Communist Manifesto, Google Is Trying to Create a Digital God, Elon Musk Says, Retailers Are Abandoning Americas Cities Due to an Epidemic of Retail Theft, Violence, Authorities Baffled; $22 Million in Gold Disappears From Canadas Pearson International Airport, 14-Year-Old Japanese Girl Dies From Multiple Organ Inflammation, Myopericarditis 45 Hours After COVID, Master Li Hongzhi: How Humankind Came to Be, Zelensky Embezzled $400 Million in American Aid, Buys Fuel From Russia, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist. Full-time Teacher, Member of Division I, Region 8, District 17, Section 4, Chautara Franklin (Head Coach) Oct 2001 - Jun 201210 years 9 months. All Rights Reserved. The strength of the wolf is the pack. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 It is not always pleasant to hear things that you might disagree with or discover that someone holds an opposing position. The logos of multinational American Internet companies are seen on a computer screen in Lille, France, on Oct 21, 2020. And this isnt about Trump, Im not getting into that, this is about speech, because there have been times even in American history where a small group of people decided what you can hear. Non-Faculty Coaches and Classified Employees must take the NFHS "Fundamentals of Coaching" and "First Aid, Health, & Safety for Coaches" courses prior to coaching. Thorne said he was not making those comments because he favored Parler or Trump or anybody else who is being banned., The lawsuit alleges the school district directed Thorne not to talk to media even though the SCS policies permit employees to talk to media in their individual capacity.. God Bless!" Wimberly said. It is not always pleasant to hear things that you might disagree with or discover that someone holds an opposing position. The focus was on helping his students think critically about how the position being taken by tech companies like Facebook and Twitter could impact their future and how it could impact free speech in the future. I dont care what side you agree with, we dont practice sedition, we dont attack our legislature.. Principal Thorne was suspended from his job for preaching the virtues of free speech and tolerance. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute or create, an attorney-client relationship between the Liberty Justice Center and/or any lawyer with LJC with any reader or recipient of this information and LJC does not make any assertion regarding available attorneys in your jurisdiction. Full-time Teacher, Steven Havrda (Assistant Coach) Barton Thorne, the principal of Cordova High School near Memphis, Tennessee, was briefly suspended (cancelled) after he stood up to the cancel culture dominating social media. In his video, Thorne expressed concerns about times in American history where a small group of people decided what you can hear. Disclaimer: The materials contained in this website are for informational purposes and are not to be considered advertising or legal advice. You may be in agreement with the people who are doing the filtering, but its just one moment away from somebody else being able to filter you. Is SCOTUS About to Annihilate the Administrative State? After more than a month, and even after the Liberty Justice Center had reached out to the school district multiple times, Thorne had heard very little from school officials and had no resolution to his case. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 And hopefully, the school district will do that, and then we can bring this case to a close, he said. Thursday Farm Market. Full-time Teacher, Chance Talley (Assistant Coach) Full-time Teacher, Chris Burns (Assistant Coach) Email: mail_hide("212216", "cranet", 0, "gro.21kscs") He criticized the censorship implemented by big tech companies like Twitter, Google, Facebook, and Apple. Cancel culture isnt just stopping hate speech, its silencing legitimate speech protected by the First Amendment. Full-time Teacher, Michael Case (Assistant Coach) As leaders, we must be intentional about creating spaces for our students to discuss and process events that take place in our country and community.. Email: mail_hide("216157", "ratlifftn", 0, "gro.21kscs") During his presidency, Trump had pushed for abolishing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to remove liability protections enjoyed by social media platforms. Email: mail_hide("209514", "lewistj", 0, "gro.21kscs") To schedule an interview, contact Kristen Williamson at[emailprotected]or 773-809-4403. Email: mail_hide("212222", "franklincn", 0, "gro.21kscs") Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have all banned Trump, alleging he incited the violence leading to the breach of the building. 5 Things to Know About Principal Barton Thorne and His Case Against PDF Shelby County Board of Education Complaint - Reclaim The Net document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The state of Texas is also considering a similar law. According to the lawsuit, Thorne says SCS violated his first and 14th amendment rights. All Rights Reserved. Principal Barton Thorne was suspended in mid-January by administrators for Shelby County Schools, the school district that governs Cordova High School. We need more principals like that in America. Full-time Teacher, Member of Division I, Class AAA, Section 4, James Vinson (Head Coach) Forget the War on Stoves. In his role as principal, he delivers a "principal's message" to his students as part of the weekly announcements' videos. Oh, So That's Who Decided Joe Biden Would Run for Re-Election. I dont care what side you agree with, we dont practice sedition, we dont attack our legislature, he added. He was also critical of the riot in the Capitol. One of the more disturbing aspects of Principal Thornes suspension was that his message was in full compliance with Tennessees standards for teaching social studies to high school students. According to the lawsuit, Thornes remarks were in his principals message thats part of a weekly announcements video. A native of South Memphis, Linda has . Office Phone: 901-416-4540 3:50 The principal of Cordova High School in Memphis, Tennessee, is suing his school district and its superintendent for suspending him after he taught students about big tech censorship in the wake of the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill. What happens when the marketplace of ideas becomes a forced monopoly. During his video message, Thorne explicitly denounced the Capitol riots, saying they displayed ignorance at the highest levels., I dont know too many people that are going to be okay with what happened, he said. [I]n democracies, we talk about the marketplace of ideas. Non-faculty, Torrey Lewis (Assistant Coach) Culturally aware? Suhr told Sinclair his firm had reached out to the school district several times before filing the suit, but the school never responded in a substantive way.. Cordova High School principal put on leave after comments he reportedly 7437 Corona Valley Ave, Eastvale, CA 92880. Principal SUSPENDED for warning students about cancel culture: The elimination of the free exchange of ideas, 5 Things to Know About Principal Barton Thorne and His Case Against Shelby County Schools, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/99-the-test.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/55-crossing-over-to-the-other-side-of-faith.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/54-are-you-an-injustice-collector_.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/53-what-baseball-cards-tell-you-about-you.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/52-you-have-just-90-seconds-1.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/51-the-butterfly-effect.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/50-christians-in-the-age-of-civil-disobedience.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/49-_-thinking-old.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/48-_-word-of-knowlege.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/47-_-two-crossesrevised2023.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/46-_-three-events-that-may-connect-covid-19-to-the-end-times_-1.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/45-nudge-from-above.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/44-what-is-your-default-setting.mp3. Barton Thorne, the principal of Cordova High School, told students during morning announcements that they needed to be aware of the censorship happening on social media. The day after his message, Shelby County Schools placed Thorne on administrative leave. This includes personalizing content and advertising. What makes those types of systems possible is the restriction and the elimination of the free exchange of ideas., READ: Principal SUSPENDED for warning students about cancel culture: The elimination of the free exchange of ideas. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Tennessee Principal Barton Thorne was suspended by Shelby County School administrators in January after speaking with his students about the dangers of cancel culture.I want you to understand the problem thats going to face you and your generation if there is no longer a marketplace, a free exchange of ideas, he told them, urging the students to engage in respectful conversations with those who hold differing opinions. The school districts Office of Equity and Access (whatever the heck that is) also weighed in on the situation. This isnt about Trump, he said. Be that as it may, he keeps a close eye on what's happening and reports on it to keep people rightly informed. While Principal Thorne was instructed not to speak to the media or the community about his suspension, numerous district officials spoke publicly about him. According to the lawsuit, Thorne says SCS violated his first and 14th amendment rights. After sharing his message, the lawsuit says the principal was the subject of a professional misconduct complaint and internal disciplinary investigation. High school principal sues over suspension after controversial comments to students about Capitol riot, free speech, Mother arrested for leaving children home alone to go to gym, police say, Suspect accused of kidnapping, raping child in South Memphis pleads not guilty, Whitehaven mourns loss of high school band director, City of Memphis takes formal stance on 5-year residency requirement for mayoral candidates, Thorne drew comparisons to the Branch Davidian standoff. Audio obtained by the WREG-TVallegedly reveals Thorne addressing recent moves byTwitter, Facebook, Google, and Apple and their decision as private companies to filter and to decide what you hear and know about., Because there have been times even in American history where a small group of people decided what you could hear. Full-time Teacher, Steven Havrda (Assistant Coach) Phone: Email: Degrees and Certifications: High school principal sues after being suspended for talking to Duquesne University (2007), James Vinson (Assistant Coach) Tennessee Principal Sues Shelby County Schools For Violating First What sort of fruit salad nonsense is the Office of Equity and Access? Email: mail_hide("212221", "cooperc1", 0, "gro.21kscs") Lowe seems to believe its a crime to encourage young people to think critically about the big issues of the day. There have been times even in American history when a small group of people decided what you can hear, he said. Office Phone: 901-416-4545 Here's What the Left's Coming for Now. Shelby County Schools (SCS) violated Mr. Thorne's First Amendment and contractual rights by placing him on administrative leave for teaching his students classic American principles on free speech and democratic self-government. It was also in line with the resources Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Joris M. Ray had recommended for teaching about January 6 and its aftermath. Email: mail_hide("212218", "sikesd", 0, "gro.21kscs") Instead of punishing Principal Thorne he should be given a pay raise and a certificate of merit. Think about North Korea. Twitter two days later permanently suspended Trumps account over two posts it cited as having violated its policies. According to the lawsuit, Thorne usually delivers a weekly speech to students to educate and inspire them. Principal Thorne has been with Shelby County Schools (SCS) for nearly two decades, dedicating his career to helping the families and students within his community. Troy High School / Homepage - Fullerton Joint Union High School District Troy High School seeks to provide both a comprehensive liberal arts program and a specialized program of study for students of all abilities and backgrounds. Thorne was placed on administrative leave in mid-January after speaking to students and staff about freedom of speech with regard to major social media platforms removing or blocking posts from then-President Donald Trump and some of his supporters. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Memphis high school principal sues after being suspended for talking to Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Former Arizona State Student Appeals Conviction for Distributing Constitution Copies Liberty Justice Center filed an appeal on behalf of a former Arizona State University student who was convicted of trespassing when he handed To schedule an interview, contact Chloe Edwards at. School Directory - TSSAA Barton Thorne, who is in his fourth year leading Cordova High School in Shelby County, reportedly said during a nine-minute morning announcement that free speech is being threatened [] Your email address will not be published. Attorneys for Principal Barton Thorne claim his right to free speech was violated after he tried teaching a lesson to his students about free speech. Cordova high school principal, Barton Thorne on leave after speech Imagine that a public school administrator who is teaching kids to think for themselves. Six weeks after he was placed on leave, he filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the district and Superintendent Joris Ray. Epoch Times reporter Isabel van Brugen contributed to this report. The time has come to break up big tech monopolies and restore fair competition Big tech giants like Twitter, Google, and Facebook should be punished with major sanctions whenever they silence conservative voices, Trump said in a speech. This is about speech.. Thorne warned his students that anyones voice can be cancelled for any reason by a small group of people. What you need to know, summarized in one email. Barton Thorne of Cordova High School was placed on paid administrative leave after comments he made over the district's virtual learning platform. It was only after he filed a lawsuit, Thorne v. Shelby County Board of Education, on February 23 that Principal Thorne was reinstated. Email: mail_hide("212946", "havrdass", 0, "gro.21kscs") I want you to understand the problem thats going to face you and your generation if there is no longer a marketplace, a free exchange of ideas.. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 During that time, SCS officials lambasted his message in the news media while telling him to stay silent. High school principal sues over suspension after controversial comments Email: mail_hide("207528", "cranet", 0, "gro.21kscs") And so, if they can do that to a minorityor if they can do that to a powerful voice, it doesnt have to be a minoritywhat will stop them one day from doing that to you? Principal Barton Thorne. Teacher. I think we all know what thats code for. Copyright 2023 Liberty Justice Center. District officials have refused to answer questions from Thorne or his attorneys about when he will be allowed to return to school, or why he is being punished for speaking about the First Amendment. Do not send us confidential information until you speak with us and receive authorization to do so. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Onemedia reportquotes a board member, Sheleah Harris, saying the events at the school were extremely unfortunate and do not reflect the true value of the school or the district. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Cordova High School The strength of the pack is the wolf. Email: mail_hide("208847", "talleyc", 0, "gro.21kscs") Even though he has his job back, the case will continue, Suhr said. Email: mail_hide("215527", "smithcolemana", 0, "gro.21kscs") Email: mail_hide("209511", "weaveri", 0, "gro.21kscs") This article by Nicole Wells was published January 27, 2023 on newsmax.com. SHOOTING IT STRAIGHT NEWS / VIEWS / REVIEWS, Your email address will not be published. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Feb. 25, 2021) A Memphis-area high school principal is suing his school district after he was placed on administrative leave for speaking with his students about the importance of free speech. Email: mail_hide("216156", "ratlifftn", 0, "gro.21kscs") According to the lawsuit, Thorne usually delivers a weekly speech to students to educate and inspire them. Suspended SCS principal is sues on free-speech grounds Six weeks later, Thorne filed a federal civil rightslawsuitagainst the district and Superintendent Joris Ray.

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