Liberty Justice Center Warns Missouri School District About Censoring Parent on Official Facebook Page

The Liberty Justice Center called on Missouri’s Kearney School District to protect parents’ First Amendment rights after the district deleted a parent’s comments and blocked her from its official Facebook page because of her criticism.

Through its PARENTS Initiative—the Liberty Justice Center’s first line of protection for parental rights—LJC represents Annie Palmer, the parent of a currently enrolled Kearney School District student and a former district educator who worked there for 10 years.

On April 16, 2026, Palmer used a “thumbs down” reaction and posted comments in response to a district Facebook post announcing the hiring of a new school principal. The district deleted her comments and blocked her access to its page without notice, explanation, or reference to a policy governing restrictions on public access.

According to public records obtained by Palmer, the restriction was imposed because the newly hired principal was personally “upset” about her thumbs-down reaction.

But government officials cannot violate First Amendment rights and restrict access to official social media accounts simply because they disagree with someone’s viewpoint. A thumbs-down reaction expresses an opinion. A school employee’s personal offense at that opinion does not justify censoring a parent on a government-operated social media page.

The letter also raised concerns about the district’s lack of a written policy protecting the public’s First Amendment rights on its social media accounts. Without clear safeguards, other parents and community members could face similar restrictions for expressing views district employees dislike.

To resolve the matter, the Liberty Justice Center demanded that the district:

• Provide written assurance that neither Palmer nor any other member of the public will be restricted from accessing district social media accounts based on their viewpoint or protected expression.
• Begin the process of adopting a written policy for managing all district social media accounts that acknowledges the public’s First Amendment rights.
• Begin training district staff responsible for managing those accounts.

The letter warned that failure to address these issues could result in a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Following LJC’s demand letter, the Liberty Justice Center secured a free speech victory for Palmer. In response to LJC’s demands, the district has agreed to take steps to provide written assurance against viewpoint-based restrictions on access to its social media accounts, begin the process of adopting a written policy that acknowledges the public’s First Amendment rights and begin the process of training the staff responsible for managing those accounts. These commitments are a victory for Palmer and other parents and community members whose right to speak must be respected.

LJC will continue to stand with parents, like Annie Palmer, in their fight to maintain their protected rights to raise their children without unconstitutional government intervention.