Morgan Armstrong is in her final year at Tennessee Christian Preparatory School in Cleveland, Tennessee. Back in April she posted to Instagram a picture of herself with her girlfriend and let the world know she’s a lesbian.
Her Christian school reacted by banning her from attending her High School graduation earlier this month, claiming that the post and private messages the teenager has sent violated the educational institutions social media policy for students.
The school is withholding her High School diploma, and she’s now suing the school. On the day she was supposed to graduate Morgan and her family held a small protest across the road from the graduation ceremony.
“It was difficult having to stand across the street knowing that the people I’ve grown up with for the last four years were able to walk across the stage and I wasn’t allowed to,” Armstrong told local TV channel MSMV.
Morgan shared that when she shared her image it might get a negative reaction from a relative who is opposed to homosexuality. She sent a message to ten friends who already knew that she was gay asking them if they could like her coming out post.
The teenager was then called into her school who outlined their objection to her post ands the private message that she’d sent to friends.
In a formal letter they claimed that “Morgan posted on social media platforms, such as Instagram, a disparaging remark, reflecting the people at Tennessee Christian. The comment reflected on the institution, facility, staff, alumni and students in the most negative possible way.”
The school also warned that that if the “online slander” continued they would include a report in the file they forward on to colleges and universities that the student might want to apply to in the future.
Her lawyers now argue that the comment the school took offence at was private and not about the school at all. They also argue that the school has overreacted noting that their own rule book says the punishment for breaking the social media code is a single day suspension.
In a statement the school rejected the ascertains put forward in the lawsuit.
“Tennessee Christian Preparatory School firmly rejects the misleading allegations outlined in a recent lawsuit supposedly filed against the school. As of 11:00 AM on May 22, we have yet to be served with process for the alleged lawsuit.” said Jared Tilly, Head of Schools for Tennessee Christian Preparatory School.
“The administration and Board of Trustees express deep disappointment over the inaccuracies contained in the alleged filing by Daniel A. Horwitz with Horwitz Law in Nashville.
“Despite this supposed legal dispute, Tennessee Christian remains fully committed to delivering Morgan Armstrong’s diploma. Our goal continues to be the academic and personal success of each student, even in the face of conflict or disagreement. We wish Morgan Armstrong the very best as she continues her academics in college.” he said.
