Well, it’s certainly not the kind of thing I ever got in trouble for when I was in high school. Emma Sullivan, a high school student from Shawnee Mission was in Topeka with a bunch of other students and listening to a speech from Gov. Sam Brownback when she tweeted (from the back of the crowd) “Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person.”
Notably, she did no such thing. She says she was joking around.
Nonetheless, she was ordered by her high school principal to write a letter of apology to Brownback. The principal even advised her on what she should say. It’s due today.
But Sullivan told the AP that she doesn’t plan to write any such letter and that if she had it to do over, she would tweet that tweet again. She’s upset about Brownback eliminating arts funding. Sullivan has been offered legal help but she’s going to see what happens today when the letter isn’t handed in.
Sullivan’s mom is quoted as saying that although she might have wished her daughter used different words, she stands behind her right to free speech.
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