NEWS

Too controversial for school?

Hannah Sparling
hsparling@enquirer.com
Senior Patrick Edwards says these posters were rejected by the administration at Larry A. Ryle High School.

A Boone County high school is under fire from anti-abortion advocates – with lawyers demanding a student be allowed to display fliers they say were initially rejected by school officials.

The case involves seven anti-abortion fliers, six of which were deemed “too controversial” by Larry A. Ryle High School Principal Matthew Turner, according to a release from Students for Life of America, a nationwide anti-abortion organization for youth.

A letter from Students for Life lawyers gives Turner until 5 p.m. Oct. 20 to reverse course, or “we will move forward with litigation to protect the fundamental rights of students at Ryle High School.”

Turner declined to discuss specifics, citing the threat of litigation, but he confirmed he received the letter on Tuesday and said the district's attorneys are reviewing it.

"We believe the policies we have in place are in full compliance with the law," he said. "We don't discriminate against students or student organizations or students with opinions."

The situation stems back to August, the beginning of the school year, when senior Patrick Edwards started posting fliers for the Ryle Students for Life club, according to the release. Turner told Edwards he had to submit the fliers ahead of time for approval, the release states, and six out of seven options were rejected.

The flier that was approved features a quote from Anne Frank: How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

One of the rejected fliers features a picture of a panda bear holding a sign: Save the baby humans.

Another rejected flier has what looks like a protest scene, with people hoisting posters under a block of text: We are not counter-cultural. We are not the minority. We are not losing.

This is the flier that was approved, according to student Patrick Edwards.

“Other student clubs and students have been allowed to post fliers taking various positions and I was specifically told my fliers could not be posted because the issue was too controversial,” Edwards said in the release. “I believe it’s important to be able to share positive pro-life messages with my peers, especially with students who may be facing an unplanned pregnancy or know someone who is. Our aim is never to discriminate but to lovingly present the pro-life message and make a positive impact on our school community.”

Students for Life argues that Turner and the school are discriminating against Edwards and violating his rights.

“The law does not permit a principal to ban speech simply because, in his subjective opinion, the speech is too controversial,” said attorney Kyle Winslow, one of those who signed the letter. “Ryle High School’s censorship of Patrick clearly violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and must end.”

Senior Patrick Edwards says these posters were rejected by the administration at Larry A. Ryle High School.