TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Teacher Wins 1st Amendment Claim, Loses Suspension Challenge

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Oct 5, 2022

A federal jury has found that Sullivan County teacher Jeremy McLaughlin was suspended for reasons other than his expletive-laced social media posts, rejecting McLaughlin’s claims he was targeted for the posts, Tennessee Lookout reports. McLaughlin was suspended for three days without pay in September 2020 after parents complained about posts made while off-duty. Before the trial, U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker ruled McLaughlin’s social media posts were protected speech under the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding the rights of a coach who prayed on the field after football games. That ruling put the burden on the school to prove McLaughlin was suspended for other reasons. The school argued it took the action because McLaughlin was encouraging people outside the school system to vote in what was supposed to be a survey of district teachers. The jury agreed.

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