CALIFORNIA — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that ahigh school student could not be suspended or transferred forhis alleged involvement with an underground newspaper.
According to court documents, Los Angeles Unified School Districtofficials transferred Palisades High School senior Jeremy Meyerto another school for "contribution to unauthorized materialwhich caused disruption on the high school campus."
Meyer’s "contribution" was an e-mail he sent to thenewspaper’s editors — which he said was not intended to be published– protesting the suspension of 11 students in connection withan underground school newspaper called the Occasional B.J.Withouthis knowledge, the editors published Meyer’s e-mail along witha byline that read "Fuck You."
School officials also accused Meyer of disrupting the educationalprocess by encouraging students to attend a rally that ultimatelyresulted in a walk out to protest the students’ punishment.
But Judge Lourdes Baird ruled that because Meyer’s e-mail wasnot obscene and because he did not take part in or encourage thewalk out, any discipline imposed by the school district was "improper"under California law.
"No purpose would be served by removing him from the environmentin which he has spent the last four years of his life," Bairdsaid in her decision.
Palisades High School administrators suspended 11 studentsin March for their involvement with the underground newspaper.As a result of the suspensions, 300 students staged a walkout to show support for the newspaper and the students involved.