A protest planned at Corona del Mar Middle and High School Monday afternoon after a student was suspended — allegedly for saying remarks deemed to be threatening — such as “Free Palestine,” has been canceled, a family member said.
“(The) protest is canceled,” the family member said Monday afternoon, declining to comment further.
Social media posts began circulating last week from multiple accounts, including one that purports to be the student’s aunt, that included a photo of a letter from Principal Jacob Haley saying the student had been suspended for three days.
“(The student) said threatening remarks to a young lady in class. He said ‘Free Palestine,’” the letter read. Those social media posts also detailed previous tensions that occurred between the student and others at school.
Newport-Mesa Unified Assistant Superintendent Kerrie Torres confirmed the student was suspended from classroom instruction starting on Nov. 13, but she and other district employees said they could not go into further details about what caused the suspension.
Corona del Mar student suspended for saying ‘Free Palestine’
In an email to parents over the weekend, Newport-Mesa Unified said “information on social media and news media is an inaccurate and incomplete picture of what occurred.”
“We do not discipline students for solely exercising their right to free speech,” the district said. “However, to adhere to laws that protect student privacy, we are unable to share the full details of the incident.”
“We deeply support and value students’ right to free speech, and encourage respectful dialogue about challenging and difficult subjects,” it continued, “but we will not tolerate speech that is hateful, hostile, or that disrupts a safe and supportive learning environment for our students.”
Corona del Mar High was the site of vandalism last month after swastikas were drawn on a locker. Then, school officials said they alerted police…
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