A lawsuit over free speech and the Shawnee Mission School District pushes forward after a federal judge rejected most of the district's motion to dismiss.
It began in April, 2018 when students at Hocker Grove Middle School and Shawnee Mission North High School took part in National Student Walkout Day. The walkout was sparked by the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
The lawsuit was organized by the ACLU of Kansas. It claims the Shawnee Mission School District violated the students' free speech and free press rights by stopping young people from talking about gun violence, and by confiscating a camera from a student journalist.
Chief United States District Judge Julie Robinson found the students presented a plausible claim against the district.
Robinson did grant a request to throw out individual legal claims against Kenny Southwick, who was serving as interim superintendent at the time of the walkout.