A progressive Catholic high school in the vicinity of San Francisco has been ordered to pay $1 million to two students. The pair was expelled under allegations of wearing blackface. This decision was reached by the jury.
The jurors concluded that the two white male students were unjustly removed from St. Francis High School without proper procedural steps. Initially reported by the conservative platform WND.com, the jury’s ruling favored the students, who had been expelled by the school’s administrators.
The school’s defense during the lawsuit filed by the boys’ families in March 2021 argued that the expulsion was based on the “optics” of a social media post.
Court documents revealed that two students, referred to as H.H. and A.H., took a photograph with a third student when they were all 14 years old.
In the picture, the trio wore facial masks designed to combat acne. H.H. and A.H. participated in this gesture to support their friend who was undergoing treatment for a severe acne condition.
As reported by The Post, the medicated masks initially had a light green color that darkened as the treatment took effect.
The boys captured the photo in 2017, but it surfaced on social media in June 2020, following George Floyd’s passing.
Upon discovery of the photo, St. Francis promptly expelled H.H. and A.H., alleging that they were wearing blackface.
The students were removed from the school without a hearing or an opportunity to provide their side of the story.
According to The Post’s coverage of the lawsuit, the principal at St. Francis allegedly informed the parents of one of the teens that the photo and subsequent expulsion were not “about intent. It’s about optics.”
Attorneys representing the teenagers conveyed to WND.com, “The jury rightly confirmed that St. Francis High School’s procedures were unfair to our clients and that the school is not above the law.”
The lawyers stated, “the jury’s verdict finally cleared our clients’ names after four long years of repeated personal attacks from St. Francis High School.
Schools are supposed to protect and nurture children, not sacrifice them when it is convenient for public relations purposes.”
