OLIVE BRANCH, MS - The mother of a student expelled for supposedly using gang signs at school is speaking out.
The Olive Branch, Mississippi, woman says her son was kicked out for gang activity when he was only dancing.
Now the issue is set to play itself out in court. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the DeSoto County school district on this family's behalf. They argue the district's anti-gang policy is too open to interpretation.
“He was bopping his fists together while he was sitting in assembly up on the bleachers” says the mom, who wanted to remain anonymous. Her son was accused of throwing up gang signs.
It happened on the first day of school at Olive Branch High. The boy was expelled and has been out of class since then.
“I was like ‘what?!’ This is ridiculous.”
It's not the first time this family has had trouble with DeSoto County schools, and this isn't the first lawsuit they've filed against the school district.
Last year, the mother says her son was arrested on a school bus after smiling at officers responding to a girl fight.
“The kids were just being rude. That's what I get from the officers. That's the only thing I can get” says the mom.
The family and the school district settled that case just days before the student's expulsion. His mom thinks he was targeted because of that settlement.
“There were hundreds of kids in this building and only my son is pretty much singled out as throwing gang signs?” says the mom. “By that policy being as vague as it is, who can prove that? I don't know.”
DeSoto County Superintendent Milton Kuykendall is also speaking out. He says the ACLU is challenging the safe and orderly environment within his school district. He also says it's a shame that the ACLU is able to file one suit after another without any accountability.
The ACLU is asking for money in this case, as well as the immediate reinstatement of the student. It also wants the school district to clarify its anti-gang policy. The family did receive money in the first case filed against the school district, but they're not disclosing how much they got.
