JESUP, Georgia — The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed an administrative appeal to the Wayne County Board of Education in a student expulsion case. SPLC client “J.L.” was improperly expelled for bringing a homemade papercraft resembling a gun aboard a school bus. The papercraft was composed entirely of white paper and was never handled as a firearm.
Eleven-year-old J.L. is a student with a disability who frequently makes papercrafts at home to calm his mind, as J.L. has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“This is an unfortunate case of a school engaging in reactive and punitive discipline. There’s no allegation that our client threatened or harmed anyone, or that he had intent to do so,” said Moriah Windus, staff attorney, SPLC. “It seems that the school’s basis for expulsion is grounded in its own failure to respond to the incident appropriately, rather than J.L.’s conduct. The punishment is clearly disproportionate with the events that occurred and risks causing long-term harm to J.L.’s academic progress and well-being.”
Following the semester-long expulsion, J.L. was placed in an alternative school where, he alleges, he received little to no meaningful instruction. The SPLC is appealing the expulsion in an effort to expunge the discipline from J.L.’s record and facilitate J.L.’s return to a normal school environment.
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About the Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org.