Zombie posters live, pro-life posters die at Mo. school
ADF files suit against Dixon School District on behalf of student
ADF attorney sound bites: Jeremy Tedesco | Matt Sharp
Officials at Dixon High School removed the posters and denied public address announcements promoting the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity even though it routinely allows other non-curricular communications, including photographs of students edited to look like bloody zombies; posters and announcements promoting the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network’s Day of Silence; and posters with political and anti-drug messages.
“All students should have the freedom to express their beliefs,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “Pro-life students have a positive and valuable message that school officials should welcome, not censor. Public schools are more likely to succeed when they allow for the free exchange of ideas.”
The Dixon School District allows students, student groups, and community organizations to post fliers, drawings, and other materials “in areas of the school which are generally frequented by students” and also permits announcements over the school intercom at designated times regarding activities and opportunities of interest to students.
The district has allowed numerous communications under a policy that states that “student expression regarding a variety of topics may be beneficial to the District’s educational mission,” including “discussion and debate regarding serious issues”; however, it prohibited posters and announcements for the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity while allowing others.
The school allowed the student’s Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity posters and announcements in the past, but in October of last year tore down and destroyed the posters because it deemed them “offensive.”
“What is offensive is the double-standard here,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Matt Sharp. “Public school officials cannot pick and choose what messages they are going to allow based on which viewpoints they prefer. ADF has litigated numerous cases similar to this one, and the law and the Constitution are clearly on our side here as well.”
Douglas Fredrick, one of nearly 2,100 attorneys in the ADF alliance, is serving as local counsel in the case, J.A. v. Dixon R-1 School District, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Southern Division.
- Pronunciation guide: Tedesco (Tuh-DESS’-ko)
RELATED LEGAL MATTER(S)
Legal Documents
Related Resources
Image of similar 2010 student Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity poster: J.A. v. Dixon R-1 School District
Image of 2011 student zombie posters: J.A. v. Dixon R-1 School District
ABOUT Matt Sharp
Matt Sharp serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Public Policy. In this role, he leads ADF's team of policy experts as they craft legislation and advise government officials on policies that promote free speech, religious freedom, parental rights, and the sanctity of human life. Since joining ADF in 2010, Sharp has authored federal and state legislation, regularly provides testimony and legal analysis on how proposed legislation will impact constitutional freedoms, and advises governors, legislators, and state and national policy organizations on the importance of laws and policies that protect First Amendment rights. He has twice testified before the U.S. Congress on the importance of protecting free speech and religious liberty in federal law. Sharp also authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of nearly 9,000 students, parents, and community members asking the court to uphold students’ right to privacy against government intrusion. Sharp earned his J.D. in 2006 from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. A member of the bar in Georgia and Tennessee, he is also admitted to practice in several federal courts.