It is unclear how Thorne, in his fourth year as principal at the school,delivered the message to students. 3:13. }); Email: The following article written by David Thomas appeared on WNWS 101.5 FMon February 25, 2021. She has redecorated the office and hung photos of students in the halls. var encodedEmail = swrot13('cngevpxwf@fpfx12.bet'); While Thorne said the speech was not about Trump or about Parler in particular, he addressed the students on the first school day since the president and social media app had been banned and restricted from use, respectively, for the potential to incite violence. Thorne has been instructed by the school district to limit his interactions with reporters. Former Arizona State Student Appeals Conviction for Distributing Constitution Copies Liberty Justice Center filed an appeal on behalf of a former Arizona State University student who was convicted of trespassing when he handed To schedule an interview, contact Chloe Edwards at. The district confirms Cordova High Principal Barton Thorne is on paid leave while his comments are under review. 3:13. MEMPHIS, Tennessee A Memphis-area high school principal is suing his school district after he was placed on administrative leave for speaking with his students about the importance of free speech. Carbon Hill Elementary and Junior High School, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). Life Church came out to Cordova High on October 9th to bless teachers by fixing up some of the teacher work rooms and stocking shelves with snacks and treats. $('span#sw-emailmask-2927').replaceWith(''); 3:13. Freedom of speech is a God-given right guaranteed by the 1st Amendment, and defending it is NEVER political. C.School Safety & Discipline A copy of the most recent Student Incident Report, which was submitted to the ALSDE in June 2020, is provided. Before students returned, Brown took teachers on a field trip around the city. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (ABC Local 24) The Cordova High School principal placed on administrative leave after a controversial video is now suing Shelby County Schools, accusing the district of violating his First Amendment and contractual rights. Disclaimer: The materials contained in this website are for informational purposes and are not to be considered advertising or legal advice. Its shocking and disappointing that I was removed from my job for speaking with students about the First Amendment, Principal Thorne said in the release. In a recording of the videosincedeleted from YouTube, Thorne emphasized the need to allow for free speech and a marketplace of ideas. He condemned the Capitol Hill riot and stated that his statements had nothing to do with President Donald Trump. Board member Sheleah Harris, whose district includes Cordova High School, her alma mater, said the allegations are "extremely unfortunate and do not reflect the true value of" the school or the district. Although they mentioned allegations and comments raised against the principal, they didnt provide further information as to what those were or who had raised them. If this is the status of schools that are supposed to be teaching our children, then we need to figure out how to dump public schooling and fund students, not administration and politics, and not teachers unions. Cordova High School Principal Barton Thorne was placed on administrative leave by the district in January after expressing concern to students over the way unregulated tech and social media companies have the power to control conversations and shut down discussions online. Celebrate Black History and participate in our Black Business Expo ! $(document).ready(function () { Thorne stressed his comments werent about President Trump, but more so about freedom of speech. The cancel culture taking foot in America has now reached our schools, and I will not stand for it.. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The head of the Memphis and Shelby County teacher's union is reacting to a controversial video made by the principal of Cordova High School. This article by Joe Dodson was published December 8, 2022 on courthousenews.com. In a nine-minute speech Monday, Cordova High School Principal Barton Thorne spoke to the school about free speech. Excuse me!!! Emotionally charged situations, we have to sometimes temper back, recalibrate, think about the message were sending to our student, Michael Lowe, of the SCS Office of Equity and Access, said. Anything less would be a disservice not only to Principal Thorne, but also to his students who are watching a real-life civics life lesson unfold before their eyes.. I know that is not a lot, but I also know that not everyone is comfortable with saying something, wrote Thorne. Now, Thornes attorneys have filed a federal lawsuit against the district for violating his First Amendment and contractual rights for placing him on administrative leave for discussing current events and free speech with students. Do not send us confidential information until you speak with us and receive authorization to do so. Principal Alisa Brown sits behind her desk at Cordova High School in Cordova, Ala., on Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. Principal Alisa Brown sits behind her desk at Cordova High School in Cordova, Ala., on Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. She has also looked for ways to let the school's lunchroom staff and custodians know they are appreciated, whether by bringing them sweets or asking their opinion on a matter. Home; About Us" Administrators; Family & Community Engagement Assistant Principal, 10th Grade. Cordova High School Principal Barton Thorne was placed on administrative leave by the district in January after expressing concern to students over the way unregulated tech and social media companies have the power to control conversations and shut down discussions online. 3.Exhibits A-III-I through Exhibits A-III-VIII Funding and Expenditure Report for Accountability by Program. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The head of the Memphis and Shelby County teacher's union is reacting to a controversial video made by the principal of Cordova High School. Web00:00 00:40. Principals comments on the power social media and big tech companies have are under scrutiny from Shelby County Schools officials. Home; About Us" Administrators; Family & Community Engagement Assistant Principal, 10th Grade. They actually think Steve Cohen is the smartest doofus in the city. We had 23 students auditioning Saturday and 21 of them earned a qualifying score. As much as Brown loved learning when she was a student, teaching was her second career choice. Someone from Shelby County that believes in freedom not free stuff. The Commercial Appeal reviewed a recording of the speech posted online, where Thorne is sitting in what appears to be an office space wearing a shirt with the high school's name and logo. Prior to the incident, Thorne had been the principal at Cordova High School for well over three years. The principal at Cordova High School is on paid administrative leave after comments he reportedly made over SCSs virtual learning platform. WebCORDOVA HIGH SCHOOL 1800 Berryhill Road Cordova, TN 38016 Main Office: 416-4540 School Fax: 416-4545 Barton Thorne, Principal thornebl@scsk12.org Mary DeGruy, Vice Principal degruymm@scsk12.org SCHOOL DIRECTORY Attendance Office: 416-2085 Guidance Office: 416-2120 Registration: 416-2143 Records: 416-2119 Bilingual Mentor, Cordova High School Principal Barton Thorne was placed on administrative leave by the district in January after expressing concern to students over the way unregulated tech and social media companies have the power to control conversations and shut down discussions online. I try very hard not to trespass into political or religious issues in my official capacity, and that was not my intention this morning. Brown, who came to Cordova High as a teacher in 2002, is setting the tone for a new school year with small, simple gestures aimed at fostering a sense of community among students and staff. District officials have refused to answer questions from Thorne or his attorneys about when he will be allowed to return to school, or why he is being punished for speaking about the First Amendment. Assistant Principal, 11th Grade. The strength of the wolf is the pack. District spokespersons informedThe Tennessee Starthat the incident is being reviewed by the SCS Office of Professional Standards, and therefore they are unable to share further details about Thornes remarks. A Shelby County Schools principal is on paid administrative leave after aspeech to the school comparing the suspension of social media users and appsto Branch Davidians and McCarthyism. The principal at Cordova High School is on paid administrative leave after comments he reportedly made over SCSs virtual learning platform. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Amazon Web Services, which hosted Parler, made a similar statement when it announced it would suspend its services to the app, which had also been removed for downloads by Apple and Google. More:Man who sat in Nancy Pelosi's office says he is a former firefighter 'out of Memphis', More:Memphis lawmakers, officials react to rioting at US Capitol. The appwas among those used to organize the deadly riots. A search by The Commercial Appeal found a LinkedIn account for Thorne, and a Twitter profile withthe same profile image that had not been active since 2016. However, because she had only taken one math class in her first three years of college, it would have taken an additional three years to get her degree. Shelby County Schools are the only public schools in Tennessee that have not resumed in-person learning. You will now get into hot water for telling kids about free speech. $(document).ready(function () { I will not allow myself to be silenced any more than I would allow a student to be marginalized for sharing a perfectly reasonable point of view.. A high school principal has been relieved of his duties at least temporarily after he criticized social media censorship to students this week. They dont care that this is how Detroit ended up in the sewer and he is taking them down that path as fast as you can say See My Fried Chicken?? Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Its whats going on with Twitter and Facebook and Google and Apple, and their decision as private companies to filter and to decide what you, you hear and know about, Thorne told students in a recording which the news station did not air. He worked within the Shelby County School system for a little over 19 years this approaching fall would mark his 20th year. She had planned to be a pharmacist, but there was so much competition the year that she applied to Samford University's program that only one of her eight classmates from Freed-Hardeman University made the cut. Daniel Suhr, managing attorney at Liberty Justice Center appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss the vaccine mandate challenges being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 7. Companies that suspended the president and the social media app did so in the days after deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The companies deny anypolitically motivated censorship. The students had to demonstrate skill and technique through singing two selections and sight read an excerpt. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. In democracies, we talk about the marketplace of ideas, Thorne said in the video. 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