K-12 Education

Gabby Stout, a junior at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, N.C., filed a lawsuit Monday alleging her public school violated her rights after she painted the campus 'spirit rock' with a religious and patriotic tribute to slain activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 13 and was then accused of vandalism and told law enforcement was contacted. The suit cites a subsequent district policy change banning political and religious messages, claims she was pulled from class, compelled to write a statement, and asked to surrender her phone, and notes a later Oct. 11 message from the district clarifying the incident was not vandalism and law enforcement had not been contacted.