Should A School Be Permitted To Punish Students For Things Done Away From School?

[bloodrayne]

School Defends Expulsion Over Kiss

Academy faces student lawsuit

Georgia - A private Christian academy is defending its right to expel a female student for kissing another girl off campus.

In court documents filed Jan. 4, attorneys for Covenant Christian Academy in Loganville say the school has a constitutional right to expel students for "sexual immorality."

The school filed its statement in response to a lawsuit by former student Jessica Bradley. The ninth-grader was expelled from the school last April. That prompted Bradley and her father to file a Gwinnett County Superior Court lawsuit in December.

In the suit, Bradley alleges invasion of privacy and breach of contract. The Bradleys are seeking at least $1 million in damages.

According to the suit, Bradley attended a sleepover party off campus with several other female students April 22.

At the party, she kissed another student and at an earlier date had kissed a different female student, according to the suit.

Four days later, Bradley and several other girls were called into the principal's office. After being questioned about her "inappropriate relationship" for more than an hour, Bradley, who had a 3.5 grade-point average, was expelled, according to the suit.

None of the other girls involved in the incident was expelled at the time, said David Clark, the Bradleys' Lawrenceville attorney.

He said he does not know if they were expelled later.

Administrators cited the school handbook when expelling Bradley. The handbook states that "any behavior, on campus or away which indicates that a student has disregard for the spirit of the school standards, would be sufficient reason to ask for him/her to withdraw from Covenant Christian Academy."

Clark said the guidelines in the student handbook are too vague, are unenforceable and never specifically talk about a same-sex relationship.

Covenant Principal Anthony Knight and the school's lawyer both declined to comment, citing the pending suit. But in the court documents, school attorneys called the lawsuit frivolous and said the private school's decision was protected by the First Amendment.

The school cited a defense of "ecclesiastical abstention," which prohibits courts from interfering in the internal politics of a church.

Clark said that defense is not valid.

"The First Amendment gives churches the absolute right to believe what they wish to believe. It does not give them the absolute right to act how they wish to act," he said.

"Covenant is not going to get off on a constitutional technicality," Clark said. "If the jury believes that they treated the Bradleys unfairly and invaded Jessica's privacy, they are going to have to pay for it."

[mothermold]

this is bullshit on a stick! first she gets ratted out by one of her friends then they exspell her.i feel sorry for this girl.

[AUSTIN316426808]

No, they shouldn't be able to punish someone for something that happens off school grounds. After the kid leaves nothing they do from that point on is any of their damn buisness.