SHAWNEE, Kan. — A battle over free speech is underway in the Shawnee Mission School District.
The ACLU of Kansas is now investigating after claims that students were censored during last week's walkouts to protest gun violence in schools.
Officials with the ACLU said they received dozens of complaints from parents at Hocker Grove Middle School and Shawne Mission North High School.
"We are still confirming all of these facts," said Lauren Bonds. Lauren is the Legal Director for ACLU Kansas. "I will start with that caveat. But at Hocker Grove Middle School, I think the most concerning complaint that we had was that an administrator was going around and ripping up student speeches, and was physically pushing students to get back into the school after they prematurely canceled the rest of the program."
The Shawnee Mission School District declined an on-camera interview but issued a statement telling us that some of the events at Hocker Grove and Shawnee Mission North did not go as planned.
The district went on to say it's committed to making sure the students' rights to free speech are honored.