Over 100 parents and students gathered outside Kellogg High School in Shoshone County Idaho, protesting against the principal’s decision to punish a student for saying that “guys are guys and girls are girls. There is no in-between.”
The protest reflects a growing concern over the boundaries of free speech and silencing dissenting viewpoints within educational institutions.
The controversy began when High School senior Travis Lohr, 18, participated in a school activity in which seniors gave advice to students in lower classes, Idaho Tribune reported.
Lohr spoke from his heart, deviating from his approved speech, and said, “Guys are guys, and girls are girls. There is no in-between.”
“We had a school assembly where every senior was lined up to give a piece of advice or something you wanted to say to the underclassmen. And I had wrote something before, and I decided to change my statement,” Lohr told Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman during an interview.
In response to this statement, the school imposed disciplinary measures against the student, sparking outrage within the community.
Principal Dan Davidian told Lohr he would be barred from participating in the upcoming graduation ceremony.
“I showed up the next day ready to go to school, and he had pulled me into the office, and he told me that I was suspended for the day and I wasn’t allowed to walk at graduation,” Lohr said.
“He had told me he didn’t want me to continue to make these decisions in my future when I have a career and stuff like that. I told him that it was something I believed in, and he just told me. It was inappropriate and uncalled for,” said Lohr when asked about Davidian’s excuse for excluding him from the graduation.
Lohr clarified his motive behind making the statement, stating, “This is a belief that I hold, and I believe that younger kids these days, especially underclassmen, can sometimes feel confused due to the influence of social media and other factors. I thought it would be helpful advice or something worth expressing. I didn’t intend it as an attack on any specific groups or anything like that. It was simply a spontaneous remark I chose to make.”
On Friday, over 100 outraged parents and students chanted, “Let him walk!” at Kellogg High School for punishing a student for making a factual statement.
Founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, weighed in and said, “If Travis Lohr promoted BLM at a school assembly, or endorsed child mutilations, or called Trump Hitler, nothing would have happened to him. But instead he said that “boys are boys,” so he’s been barred from participating in his high school graduation — in Idaho! Get your kids out of government schools.”
WATCH:
Over 100 parents and students protested Kellogg High School's decision to punish a student for saying "Guys are guys and girls are girls. There is no in-between."
In spite of today's protest, Travis Lohr will not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. pic.twitter.com/lS9gMsiZwl
— Idaho Tribune (@IdahoTribune) June 2, 2023
Over 100 parents and students protested Kellogg High School’s decision to punish a student for saying “Guys are guys and girls are girls. There is no in-between.”
In spite of today’s protest, Travis Lohr will not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. pic.twitter.com/lS9gMsiZwl
— Idaho Tribune (@IdahoTribune) June 2, 2023
Following the protest, Kellogg School District postponed the graduation and scheduled it for June 3.
“Based on the information provided, the decision has been made to postpone the graduation ceremony scheduled for June 3, 2023. When it is determined that the ceremony can be held safely, that information will be shared. We regret having to make this very difficult decision but the safety of our staff, students, their families and local law enforcement is our top priority,” the school announced.
School officials fired off-duty bus driver Dakota Mailloux after he had joined the parents in waving an American flag and stood up for free speech.
BREAKING: Kellogg School District has FIRED a bus driver for participating in todays protest/student walkout while he was off the clock.
Dakota Mailloux waved an American flag, and was one of the students favorite bus drivers. A go-fund-me is being established soon. pic.twitter.com/Y9BwKmIMPj
— Idaho Tribune (@IdahoTribune) June 2, 2023
A GiveSendGo was created to help Dakota. You can help him by clicking HERE.
As I understand it, the administration says that the student was punished for going “off script” not for what he said. If that is true, my question is: Does the punishment fit the crime? There are any number of suitable punishments for such an infraction that do not include robbing a student and his family and classmates of a special moment in time that they will never get back.
If the punishment was indeed for what he said, then the same question applies.
The graduation ceremony took place this weekend and the young man was not allowed to walk and any photos or references to him were removed from the program.
It appears to me that the principal was acting more like a bully than a professional.
Is this the example we want to put before our students?