LGBTQ CHAPPAQUA STUDENT SUES OVER SUSPENSION AFTER OFF-CAMPUS USE OF ANTI-GAY SLURS IN 2022

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LGBTQ Chappaqua student sues over suspension after off-campus use of anti-gay slurs in rap

Asher Stockler---Rockland/Westchester Journal News EXCERPTED

A junior at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua has sued the school district over its decision to issue him a three-day suspension for his use of an anti-gay slur in rap music recorded off campus, arguing that the school's sanction violated his First Amendment rights.

The 17-year-old student, who says he is a member of the LGBTQ community, "occasionally freestyles rap lyrics with his friends." He devised the lyrics to his composition at friend's house one night in 2022.....The lawsuit additionally invokes a new legal precedent granting greater free speech protections to student conduct off-campus. In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. that schools have a considerably narrower interest in regulating student speech that occurs off-campus.