To schedule an interview, contact Kristen Williamson at[emailprotected]or 773-809-4403. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Feb. 25, 2021) A Memphis-area high school principal is suing his school district after he was placed on administrative leave for speaking with his students about the importance of free speech. On Jan. 25, Thornes lawyers sent a letter to SCS demanding that they publicly apologize for suggesting that he had done something inappropriate and immediately reinstate him. Attorneys for Principal Barton Thorne claim his right to free speech was violated after he tried teaching a lesson to his students about free speech. This article by Nicole Wells was published January 27, 2023 on newsmax.com. Thursday Farm Market. Principal Thorne asked the young people to consider what happens when other groups filter and decide what you can hear and know about. Email: mail_hide("212225", "stinsonf", 0, "gro.21kscs") Principal SUSPENDED for warning students about cancel culture: The elimination of the free exchange of ideas, 5 Things to Know About Principal Barton Thorne and His Case Against Shelby County Schools, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/99-the-test.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/55-crossing-over-to-the-other-side-of-faith.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/54-are-you-an-injustice-collector_.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/53-what-baseball-cards-tell-you-about-you.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/52-you-have-just-90-seconds-1.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/51-the-butterfly-effect.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/50-christians-in-the-age-of-civil-disobedience.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/49-_-thinking-old.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/48-_-word-of-knowlege.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/47-_-two-crossesrevised2023.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/46-_-three-events-that-may-connect-covid-19-to-the-end-times_-1.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/45-nudge-from-above.mp3, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/44-what-is-your-default-setting.mp3. During that time, SCS officials lambasted his message in the news media while telling him to stay silent. Instead his message was about censorship, silencing of voices, and the dangers of a select group being able to dictate what, if any, speech that happens; this time being Big Tech. According to the lawsuit, Thorne usually delivers a weekly speech to students to educate and inspire them. Copyright 2023 Liberty Justice Center. Think about North Korea. Office Phone: 901-415-4540 Office Phone: 901-416-4540 All Rights Reserved. Thorne is suing his school district and its superintendent for the suspension. Many of you have complained that you never see our content in your news feeds. After more than a month, and even after the Liberty Justice Center had reached out to the school district multiple times, Thorne had heard very little from school officials and had no resolution to his case. Thornes suit says the message was even in line with resources the superintendent recommended for teaching students about the Capitol riot and its aftermath. Full-time Teacher, Dustin Sikes (Assistant Coach) Full-time Teacher, Michella Carter (Assistant Coach) Talk to your parents about it. Over the last month, attorneys from the Liberty Justice Center have reached out to school officials numerous times to rectify the situation with no success. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Email: mail_hide("216157", "ratlifftn", 0, "gro.21kscs") Since the start of the school year, Principal Thorne has spoken directly to students through a weekly video message. According to the Liberty Justice Center (LJC), Thorne has since been reinstated as principal, but LJC is proceeding with a lawsuit against the school division because of the need to stand up to cancel culture. Full-time Teacher, Ashley Smithcoleman (Assistant Coach) Principal Barton Thorne was suspended in mid-January by administrators for Shelby County Schools, the school district that governs Cordova High School. Barton Thorne is a career educator who currently serves as principal of Cordova High School for Shelby County Schools (SCS). I dont care what side you agree with, we dont practice sedition, we dont attack our legislature.. Denotes school attended/completed rules meeting in current school year. The focus was on helping his students think critically about how the position being taken by tech companies like Facebook and Twitter could impact their future and how it could impact free speech in the future. And not whether or not you agree or disagree with the people being filtered, but can this happen to you one day?, READ: 5 Things to Know About Principal Barton Thorne and His Case Against Shelby County Schools, Your email address will not be published. Anything less would be a disservice not only to Principal Thorne, but also to his students who are watching a real-life civics life lesson unfold before their eyes.. Thorne is asking for unspecified damages. Cancel culture isnt just stopping hate speech, its silencing legitimate speech protected by the First Amendment. We keep a close eye on China because of its influence now and the lessons we can learn from its ancient past to better our lives today. Townhall.com is the leading source for conservative news and political commentary and analysis. The social media giants have collectively seen $51.2 billion in combined market value wiped out over the last two trading sessions since they banned Trump from their platforms. Giving the example of McCarthyism, the principal encouraged students to Google about the issue or ask their social studies teacher. Principal Barton Thorne made a homeroom video that started by criticizing last week's . The school districts Office of Equity and Access (whatever the heck that is) also weighed in on the situation. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Office Phone: 901-416-4545 Nothing in his video was factually incorrect, or even wrong, but it was simply wrong think; so the Shelby County School system placed him on administrative leave. This is about speech.. We need more principals like that in America. Classified Employee, Johnny Stuckey (Head Coach) This article by Joe Dodson was published December 8, 2022 on courthousenews.com. HUNT VALLEY, Md. Thorne warned his students that anyones voice can be cancelled for any reason by a small group of people. After the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Thorne gave a similar speech (in a virtual classroom). Barton Thorne, the principal of Cordova High School, told students during morning announcements that they needed to be aware of the censorship happening on social media. 1. Full-time Teacher, Tracy Ratliff (Assistant Coach) Email: mail_hide("215107", "stuckeyj", 0, "gro.21kscs") The comments came a few days after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, after which Facebook and Twitter suspended President Trumps accounts, and Google, Apple and Amazon Web Services de-platformed the social media app Parler, which was popular among conservatives. This includes personalizing content and advertising. But the irony is that by doing this, another small group of people tried to silence HIM, and punished him for daring to speak truth. Office Phone: 901-416-4540 Think about totalitarian government. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute or create, an attorney-client relationship between the Liberty Justice Center and/or any lawyer with LJC with any reader or recipient of this information and LJC does not make any assertion regarding available attorneys in your jurisdiction. Daniel Suhr, managing attorney at Liberty Justice Center appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss the vaccine mandate challenges being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 7. The cancel culture taking foot in America has now reached our schools, and I will not stand for it.. Barton Thorne, the principal of Cordova High School near Memphis, Tennessee, was briefly suspended (cancelled) after he stood up to the cancel culture dominating social media. Thorne is suing his school district and its superintendent for the suspension. Linda A. Moore. Barton Thorne is the principal at Cordova High School in the Memphis-area, a high school that serves a diverse community including many low-income and minority students. And while doing so, they even told him that he could not talk to the media about it; yet the school policy is that employees CAN talk to media in their own personal capacities. There have been times even in American history when a small group of people decided what you can hear, he said. One of our most misunderstood freedoms has the principal of Cordova High School in hot water tonight. Shelby County Schools (SCS) violated Mr. Thorne's First Amendment and contractual rights by placing him on administrative leave for teaching his students classic American principles on free speech and democratic self-government. Audio obtained by the WREG-TVallegedly reveals Thorne addressing recent moves byTwitter, Facebook, Google, and Apple and their decision as private companies to filter and to decide what you hear and know about., Because there have been times even in American history where a small group of people decided what you could hear. Email: mail_hide("212216", "cranet", 0, "gro.21kscs") This article by Joe Dodson was published December 8, 2022 on courthousenews.com. Lowe seems to believe its a crime to encourage young people to think critically about the big issues of the day. We have to be aware and at a heightened sense. By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the, Global Governance: The Great Reset and the End of Sovereignty, FBI Warrantless Searches of Americans Dropped 96 Percent in 2022, Megyn Kelly Claims Fox News in Existential Crisis After Tucker Carlsons Exit, Tense Face-Off: Philippines Confronts China Over Sea Claims, California Landslide Halts Rail Service, Homes Evacuated, California Man Found Guilty of Killing 3 After Doorbell Prank. [I]n democracies, we talk about the marketplace of ideas. Im not going to tell you what to think, I just want to help you think, he told students on a video that was later posted on YouTube. Three Loudoun County parents say the school districts student ambassador program, meant to combat systemic racism, discriminates against students based on their race and viewpoints. Thorne v. Shelby County Board of Education, Newsmax: Daniel Suhr and former ASU student Tim Tizon discuss appeal of unlawful conviction, Former ASU Student Appeals Conviction for Distributing Constitution- Newsmax, New Lawsuit: Albuquerque vote to give taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood violates New Mexico Constitution, Virginias Discriminatory Ambassador Program Courthouse News Service. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. HUNT VALLEY, Md. Principal Thorne was placed on leave the day after his video was circulated. What happens when the marketplace of ideas becomes a forced monopoly. And this isnt about Trump, Im not getting into that, this is about speech, because there have been times even in American history where a small group of people decided what you can hear. Thorne shared concerns about big tech companies' ability to control information on their platforms during a Jan. 11 weekly homeroom video message to students and staff at Cordova High School in . Virginia parents argue school ambassador program is discriminatory. Barton Thorne is principal of Cordova High School. Sonora High School encourages students to become life-long learners and contributing members of an ever-changing world. Principal Thorne was suspended from his job for preaching the virtues of free speech and tolerance. Barton Thorne, until recently the principal of Cordova High School in Memphis, Tennessee, was suspended after speaking to students about the dangers of big tech censorship. Full-time Teacher, Robert Jacques (Assistant Coach) SCS placed him on administrative leave, where he has languished for six weeks without any closure to his case, the lawsuit states. Theres only one way to fight back and thats by subscribing to my FREE weekly newsletter. Troy High School seeks to provide both a comprehensive liberal arts program and a specialized program of study for students of all abilities and backgrounds. Shelby County Schools is the largest public school district in Tennessee and is one of the 25 largest nationwide. Copyright Townhall.com/Salem Media. Email: mail_hide("212222", "franklincn", 0, "gro.21kscs") That was ignorance at the highest level, he said in response to the U.S. Capitol incident. Email: mail_hide("208847", "talleyc", 0, "gro.21kscs") Email: mail_hide("215114", "wilkersona2", 0, "gro.21kscs") Cordova High School; Cordova Middle Optional School; Craigmont High School; Craigmont Middle; Cromwell Elementary; Crump Elementary; Cummings K-8 Optional School; Delano Elementary; Dexter K-8 School; Double Tree Elementary; Douglass K-8; Downtown Elementary; Dunbar Elementary; E.E. [I]n democracies, we talk about the marketplace of ideas. Full-time Teacher, Justin Lay (Head Coach) In his role as principal, he delivers a "principal's message" to his students as part of the weekly announcements' videos. If enacted, the platforms will be fined $100,000 per day for every day the candidate is blocked. Troy High School Mission. Coaches who have successfully completed the ASEP Coaches Education Course AND the TSSAA Online Coaches Training Session prior to May, 15, 2013 are not subject to this requirement. Email: mail_hide("212220", "cooperc1", 0, "gro.21kscs") He also criticized the Capitol riot, calling it ignorance at the highest level. He said that no matter what side you agree with, one should not practice sedition or attack the legislature. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email: mail_hide("215528", "smithcolemana", 0, "gro.21kscs")