Civil rights groups warn area school superintendent

A letter issued Tuesday by three civil rights advocacy groups warned a Houston-area school superintendent that a statement on Facebook threatening to punish students who protest current gun laws raises constitutional problems.

The Texas ACLU, Texas Civil Rights Project and Texas Appleseed sent a letter to the Needville School District Superintendent Curtis Rhodes about the threat he made last week to students who walk out of class in protest. The groups said that several students, parents and community members had reached out about their constitutional rights in school, such as their right to freedom of expression.

The letter states that the now removed post on Needville High School’s Facebook page written by Rhodes could “chill protected speech in school,” suggesting that the post means “students cannot participate in any form of political expression at school” and that students who walkout during class “may be subject to harsher punishments than they would otherwise receive for departures from campus without permission.”

“Schools are the place where students learn the things they need to be vibrant and engaged members of our society, and districts like Needville have an important role to play in upholding our constitutional values and fostering productive dialogue,” the groups wrote in the letter.

Rhodes said last week that students would face a three-day, out-of-school suspension if they protested about gun laws.

“Respect yourself, your fellow students and the Needville Independent School District and please understand that we are here for an education and not a political protest,” he wrote in the Facebook post. Needville is in Fort Bend County.