That’s exactly what happened to Gabby Stout. She had expressly asked permission to paint the message—and the school had given it.
But the next day, after she and her friends painted the rock with the messages “Freedom 1776” and “Live Like Kirk—John 11:25,” school officials sent out a school-wide email accusing them of vandalism and launched a criminal investigation.
And it got worse. The local news widely reported on the “vandalism” and “investigation”—and school officials hauled Gabby into an office and forced her to write a statement describing her actions and show them her phone logs.
School officials never obtained permission from her parents to go through her phone, nor did they inform her or her parents of her constitutional right to remain silent and contact an attorney during a criminal investigation.
The school punished Gabby—tried to silence her voice—yet officials had no problem supporting other student causes, including Black Lives Matter and protests against immigration enforcement. The hypocrisy couldn’t be clearer.
Of course, Gabby and her friends had NOT committed vandalism. So the school quietly closed the investigation without an apology—and released a statement claiming they had never accused or investigated her at all.
A few days later, the school unveiled a “Revised Spirit Rock Speech Code” that only allowed “positive school spirit” and messages that “uphold the inclusive values of our school community.”
It explicitly bans students from expressing religious or political messages on the spirit rock—and allows the school officials to subjectively decide which messages are “positive.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, which targeted and unlawfully investigated Gabby, violated her First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
These school officials cannot be allowed to get away with harassing and accusing a high schooler who did nothing wrong—just because they disagree with her views.
Alliance Defending Freedom is suing the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education to make sure it will answer for its blatantly unconstitutional actions—punishing students for their views. But we need support from friends like you to continue representing clients like Gabby at no cost to them.
A generous Ministry Friend has stepped forward with a matching grant that will double any gifts given while funds last.
Will you stand with Gabby and help us make the most of this matching grant with a gift of any size today? | 
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