Parent Loses Speech Suit Based on School Board Members’ Emails

The First Amendment rights of a parent weren’t violated when school board members sent emails to her employer and the US Department of Justice concerning her advocacy against measures the board adopted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sixth Circuit ruled Tuesday.

As the pandemic grew, school districts adopted policies to deal with it, which often included online learning and mask mandates. But not all parents were in favor of the measures and vociferously voiced their displeasure, sometimes leading to free speech lawsuits, including this one.

Sandra Hernden was a police officer for the City of Harper Woods, ...