A federal judge Friday ruled against an Alpharetta High School senior who claims he was ousted as student body president for pushing to make the school's prom king and queen selection more inclusive to gay and lesbian students.
Reuben Lack, an honor student and debate team captain, filed a federal lawsuit that alleges his removal as president violated his rights of free speech and expression.
In a 12-page order, U.S. District Judge Richard Story denied Lack's request to be reinstated as student body president. The judge commended Lack for championing the inclusion of all students in school activities and his "zeal to change policy." Story also expressed concern over the timing of Lack's removal -- a month after his prom idea became an issue.
But Story said he found evidence supporting a conclusion that Lack was removed for other reasons. These include his failure to send an email about a class president's meeting after being told to do so by advisers and his failure to attend the meeting the next day.
"Essentially, the court finds that [Lack] is a bright student who ‘aggressively' engaged in his causes ... but he did not show respect or civility to his faculty advisers or complete traditional student council 'spirit' tasks, which, under the bylaws, he had an obligation to help carry out, regardless of his interest level," Story wrote.
On Dec. 15, Lack emailed the student council, saying he planned to introduce a resolution to make the prom king and queen tradition accessible to gay and lesbian students. “I think this is a fair way to ensure everyone is recognized at our wonderful Prom!” he wrote.
When Lack introduced the resolution on Jan. 12, it led to an idea of renaming the “Prom King and Queen” to the “Prom Court.” But a faculty adviser instructed the council to move on to another issue, a court filing said.
Lack reintroduced the resolution two weeks later but tabled it when the adviser looked agitated, the motion said. On Feb. 8, Lack was told he was no longer student body president.
On Friday, Lack's lawyer, James Radford, said he had asked for immediate reinstatement before he could take testimony of all those involved, which he will do next in the ongoing litigation. "We look forward to continuing the fight," he said.
Lack seeks damages against the Fulton County school system, Alpharetta High's principal and two student advisers. The suit said the incident caused Lack "great emotional distress," deprived him of an honor he worked hard to achieve, threatened his admission to the college of his choice and denied him the right to address students at graduation.
Todd Hatcher, the lawyer for Fulton schools, could not be reached for comment. Last week, a school system attorney issued a statement that said Lack was removed because he was a poor leader and behaved in a manner not becoming of a student body president.
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