August 24, 2023 |
Photo – Logo for Albany County School District #1 – Courtesy Wikipedia
Nearly two years after being arrested and escorted off the Laramie High School premises, Grace Smith, and her parents Andy and Erin Smith filed a complaint earlier this month in the District Court of Albany County. The family is suing Albany County School District 1.
The complaint alleges that Grace Smith’s First Amendment rights were violated and that the ACSD1 Board of Trustees, at that time, exceeded their delegation of power over the implementation and enforcement of mask mandates in the fall of 2021.
The complaint names eight defendants, who functioning in their school district positions at the time in their individual and official capacities, including Janice Marshall school board chairman, Nate Martin, Kim Sorenson, Emily Siegel-Stanton, Beth Bear, and Lawrence Parea as trustees, as well as Dr. Jubal Yennie as superintendent of ACSD1 and Jeff Lewis as principal of LHS.
The 38-page complaint establishes six claims for relief, detailing how the plaintiffs believe the school board made health-related decisions outside of its jurisdiction and violated Grace Smith’s (referred to as G.S.in the document) First Amendment rights as well as her and her parents’ right to due process.
It also claims the defendants’ actions were acting beyond their authority in creating and implementing mask mandates for students.
The lawsuit claims that school administrators targeted Smith while not disciplining other students who refused to wear a mask. Rather, the complaint argues that the “defendants targeted the most vocal opponent of Defendants’ compelled speech.” The complaint lists five other claims for relief, including Deprivation of First Amendment Rights.
The school district has not yet responded to the lawsuit, which comes as communities and some colleges across the country are beginning to enact new face mask mandates as the school year begins.
