District, former students settle lawsuit
Graduates each get $5,000; drama director was central figure
Three former Oley Valley High School students on Monday settled a federal lawsuit accusing the school district of violating the students’ constitutional rights for speaking out against the district’s drama director, Stacy Lyons, during a March 20 public meeting.
Under the settlement, the students disciplinary records will be expunged and they will each receive $5,000, and attorney fees, according to Joel A. Ready, a Blandon attorney who is representing the students.
U.S. District Judge Mark A. Kearney in Philadelphia approved the settlement shortly before the case was set to go to trial.
“This case was never about money,” Ready said Tuesday. “It was about principle. The students were suspended for speaking out.”
All three students graduated in June and are now at least 18 years old, according to court records.
The school district is represented by Sharon M. O’Donnell, a Harrisburg attorney. O’Donnell was not available for comment.
According to the suit:
Jordan Eck and Haley Hartline were suspended for three days each because they spoke against Lyons at a school board meeting.
Vincent Ferrizzi’s rights were violated when Lyons ordered him to leave a cast party in the school gymnasium after the last night of the play.
The monetary settlement reimburses the students’ families and the expense of the litigation. It will be paid by the district’s insurance carrier.
Ready said the students did not want to give up on the case even though they already graduated.
“The First Amendment was written to protect us, but sometimes we have to protect the First Amendment,” Ready said.
Ready said the case has a bigger impact beyond the Oley Valley School District.
“This case would have created a chilling effect on other students’ right to speak up, and I hope the message is loud and clear: The Supreme Court says that students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gates. This is especially true when students speak to school board members who are elected officials.”
The three students expressed relief that the case was settled.
“This is a victory for our First Amendment rights, and for the rights of students to speak freely without fear of retribution is wrong,” they said in a joint statement.