U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Last September we reported on the saga of Ka’Mauri Harrison, a Louisiana elementary school student who was suspended for having a BB gun that happened to come into view while the fourth-grader was participating in online schooling in his own home. That case prompted considerable backlash, but the Jefferson Parish School Board refused to relent and even suspended another student, sixth-grader Tomie Brown, for similarly innocent and non-threatening conduct involving a BB gun in the home.
Fortunately, the students’ families were not willing to take these injustices lying down, and when the punishments were not rescinded during the school board’s disciplinary proceedings, the families sued in federal court. The suits specifically cited violations of the students’ rights to freedom of expression, to bear arms, and to due process of law. The school board had maintained that the presence of the BB guns during remote learning in the children’s homes was, among other things, a violation against “weapons in the classroom setting.”
Earlier this month, the school board announced it would be settling the claims out of court and compensating Ka’Mauri’s family $92,500 and Tomie’s family $72,500. []. References to weapons violations were also removed from the two students’ disciplinary records.
The Board’s earlier handling of the incidents had received condemnation across the political spectrum, including from both the NRA and the American Civil Liberties Union.
It also led to changes in Louisiana Law to require the development of disciplinary policies specific to virtual learning and to expand rights of appeal in the case of student expulsions or suspensions. Virtual learning policies are required under the law to “be narrowly tailored to address compelling government interests” and to “take into consideration the students and their families’ rights to privacy and other constitutional rights while at home or in a location that is not school property.” The legislation was dubbed The Ka’Mauir Harrison Act.
Anti-gun public school officials all too commonly use their leverage over students to promote their personal ideologies under a false guise of promoting a safe school environment and preventing disruptions, even when no threat or unruly behavior occurred.
This time, however, it was the students who taught the school board a civics lesson, one that will hopefully prevent similar abuses in the future.
About NRA-ILA:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
There were rumors that I carried a black powder colt walker to grade school back in a day when we still had our freedoms. Turned it in to the teacher before school and retrieved it after school. Never had a problem. It was unloaded and it took several minutes to load. Just a rumor though. The fact is the school board went way past the normal liberal insanity here. I am glad the parents sued them. Maybe, just maybe, it will remind them that America’s citizenry still have their rights and freedoms. All it takes to loose our rights and… Read more »
I can’t remember the last time I heard that the actions of a school board could have a positive impact on society. Restores my faith a little…
It’s turning out that local school boards are a more powerful influencer then we ever knew ! Usually, at least in my County in Virginia, the candidates for the school boards are unknowns whose name appears on the bottom of the ballots for other political offices in the General Election. Their Party affiliation is unknown as is there personal information. Most of the other voters too are ignorant of these people that , as it turns out, are critical to the future of your children and the country. Think CRT !!!
Plaintiffs should accept no deal that does not include a mass resignation of said school board and administration. Get these clowns away from kids.
This happened here in Colorado Springs, CO as well. These anti-2nd Amendment school boards should all be voted out of existence!
What remains criminal in this “solution” is that the idiot pig-headed administrators who attempted to bully these children and their families into submission will NOT be the source of the $160K of the settlement. These idjits should be removed from office, their employment history reflecting their assault on the two innocent children and their famillies. Power hugnry idiots MUST be taken out of positions where they can use their “ah THOR a teh” to make lives of their employers (the taxpayers and specifically the inmates of the schools they run) miserable. I would have sued these pig-headed beaurocrats in their… Read more »
when i went to grade school there was an umbrella stand in the corner near the door that had as many shotguns as umbrellas , walking home through woods alone i brought home dinner a few times never had to shoot a bear or wild cat came close with a bobcat but it ran with bike bell shot tons of snakes
I just wondering to think it how do students carry guns on their campus or school, we know college is a place to carry educational material and a college campus is a gun-free zone. Actually, I am a professional academic advisor at where we are especially working with students for their academic writing solutions that can help to boost their grades. I also teach them to improve their academic writing skills. Anyway, I really appreciate the author for sharing this great update.
Too many apostrophes. “won’t” is the only one needed. ” ‘s” is not needed on communist or shenanigans.
The settlements taken together would be barely enough, but would get Wayne LaPierre a couple new suits.