Tennessee teen suspended for posting ‘tongue-in-cheek’ memes about HS principal sues district

A Tennessee high schooler who was suspended for posting social media memes poking fun at his principal is suing the district for violating his free speech — claiming he was punished as revenge by an embarrassed and “thin-skinned” administrator.

The 17-year-old — who is only identified by his initials “IP” — filed the federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of Tennessee Winchester Division last week, nearly a year after being suspended for three days from the Tullahoma High School campus, roughly 75 miles southeast of Nashville.

“This case is about a thin-skinned high school principal defying the First Amendment and suspending a student for lampooning the principal on the student’s Instagram page even though the posts caused no disruption at school,” states the 48-page lawsuit, which also named the principal and assistant principal.

The rising senior had shared all three pictures of Principal Jason Quick to his Instagram story between May and August of last year outside of school hours and off school grounds, the suit claims.

One of the pictures, which IP reposted rather than created, is of the typically-serious Quick making an unflattering, silly face and holding a box of fruits and vegetables — that was originally posted to Quick’s own account — with the text “My brotha” and “like a sister but not a sister <33.”

Another depicts Quick as an anime cat with cat ears and whiskers wearing a dress, while a third shows the principal superimposed on a hand-drawn cartoon character hugging Mordecai, a character from the show “Regular Show.”

IP claims he had intended for the images to be “tongue-in-cheek commentary satirizing a school administrator” that was deeply unappreciated by Quick.

Quick and Assistant Principal Crutchfield reportedly slapped IP with a five-day, out-of-school suspension after leaning on a Tullahoma City Schools district policy prohibiting students from posting images on social media “resulting in the embarrassment, demeaning, or discrediting of any student or staff.”

The administrators also relied on a vague, unregulated policy that discourages students from participating in social media activity that is “unbecoming of a Wildcat,” IP’s lawyers at The Fire firm said in a statement.

“Here, Quick tried to ensure students could not satirize him ‘at all,’” the lawsuit states.

“Quick’s status as I.P.’s Principal does not allow him to override I.P.’s First Amendment rights. I.P. brings this lawsuit to protect the core First Amendment right of Tullahoma students to express themselves and satirize those in power.”

IP — who was being treated for clinical depression and anxiety — suffered a panic attack in front of his administrators as they handed down the punishment, which IP worried would irreversibly affect his academic career.

The student’s five-day sentence was later reduced to three days, which is also the school’s punishment for a fistfight, his lawyers pointed out.

According to his lawyers, IP was an otherwise stellar student that was undeserving of a disproportionate punishment — he boasted a 3.4 GPA, played the trombone in the school band and was the Senior Patrol Leader of his Boy Scout Troop at the time of his suspension.

“I.P.’s injuries are ongoing because Defendants’ suspension is part of I.P.’s permanent record and will likely impair I.P.’s ability to receive scholarships and gain admission to top colleges and universities because schools assess applicants’ academic and disciplinary records,” according to the lawsuit.

IP’s lawyers cited the 2021 case in which the US Supreme Court sided with a high school student — also represented by The Fire — that had been kicked off her cheerleading squad for writing “F-k school f–k softball f–k cheer f–k everything” on her private Snapchat story.

The court ruled that unless a student’s off-campus expression causes “a substantial disruption” at school, the job of policing their speech belongs to parents, not the government.

“The First Amendment bars public school employees from acting as a round-the-clock board of censors over student expression,” IP’s lawsuit states.

Tullahoma City Schools did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.