Parents of four Black high school students who claim their children were expelled for making rap music videos are suing a suburban school district in Ohio. On Tuesday, an attorney representing the parents said the students were expelled from Colerain High School in Colerain Township for making rap videos in their spare time.
The suit is being brought upon the school district for a violation of the students’ right to free speech. The parents’ lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati against the Northwest Local School District, the Colerain Township Board of Trustees, members of both groups’ boards, and some police officers, according to the Associated Press.
The issue stems from Black students being treated differently from their white counterparts, who also participated in the production of the videos. Allegedly, school officials and police interrogated the Black students about their postings on social media and affiliation with other Black youths. Officials showed said postings to the students which had been uncovered by school staff and allegedly depicted the Black students making hand signs and making rap music videos.
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Over a dozen Black students were accused of making “street signs” and belonging to a “gang,” while the white students received no penalty, according to the lawsuit.
A statement from the Northwest Local School District alleges that the lawsuit contains inaccurate information. The district’s attorney, John Concannon, insists that the disciplinary actions had nothing to do with race or rap videos, but rather threats made to students and staff in school and on social media. “This is about reasonable school rules that were violated in a serious way,” he said. Concannon never specified what these rules were.
The lawsuit calls for the expulsions to be expunged from the students’ records and unspecified punitive and compensatory damages.