Author: Adam Wittenberg
(The Lion)—A school choice advocate has won a federal free speech case against a Kentucky school district that banned him from its official Facebook page after he criticized the district’s use of public resources to oppose a 2024 ballot measure.
Corey DeAngelis filed the lawsuit after Pulaski County Schools deleted his comments and restricted public discussion on its social media platforms. He had accused the district, which is about 70 miles south of Lexington, of illegal electioneering – using taxpayer resources to influence the outcome of a vote.
While the ballot measure to expand school choice failed – leaving Kentucky as one of just 15 states without school choice – a federal court settlement reached this month marked a legal victory for DeAngelis.
“This is a win for every parent and citizen who wants to advocate freely on behalf of students,” said DeAngelis, who was represented by the Liberty Justice Center.
As part of the agreement, the district pledged to protect against viewpoint-based discrimination on its official platforms and to provide First Amendment and transparency training to its communications staff. The district will also pay the plaintiffs’ legal fees.
Dean McGee, educational freedom director at the Liberty Justice Center, said the case underscores the importance of free expression in public discourse.
“Government officials can’t censor people online just because they don’t like what they’re saying – and it was particularly disturbing to see a school district using taxpayer resources to shut down speech meant to advocate for kids,” McGee said.
Similar concerns over electioneering have surfaced in school districts in Texas, Missouri and within the Chicago Teachers Union.