Student Sues to Voice Opinion about Iraq War

PHILADELPHIA, PA – A fifteen-year-old sophomore at Alan Alda High School was suspended on Friday afternoon for what School Principle, Mike Bauer claimed to be an offensive t-shirt that disrupted the educational environment at the school.

Across the front of Colleen Urban’s t-shirt read, “If there is a God, she would end the war in Iraq.” Urban and her family have filed suit in Philadelphia federal court against the school’s actions claiming infringement of the student’s First Amendment right to free speech.

“We just wanted to ensure that Colleen’s actions didn’t get in the way of learning, we have every right to put a stop to potentially disruptive actions,” said Maureen Reed, spokesperson for the school district and vice principle of Alan Alda High School.

Urban was removed from her fifth period U.S History class by teacher Jan Gorlin who refused to teach the class with Urban present, “I only teach students who really value what America stands for.” Gorlin made several other disparaging remarks in front of the class regarding Urban’s attire before allegedly grabbing the student’s arm and walking her to the principle’s office.

The parents of the accused student, Rose and Marty Urban were available for comment on Friday regarding their daughter’s suspension and expressed frustration towards the administration of the school district and commented on the student’s reaction to the incident, “she’s not in a great frame of mind right now, but she really wasn’t trying to disrupt anything – she just wanted to state her opinion about the war,” said Rose Urban, mother of the sophomore student.

“The school district’s right to maintain order ends when a student hasn’t disrupted anything. Students do not leave their opinions and their right to free expression at the schoolhouse gate,” said Sheila McGee, attorney of the Wilmington, DE firm Tinker, Evers and Chance who is representing the Urban family in the suit.