Student faces vandalism allegation after painting spirit rock for Charlie Kirk

Exclusive -A North Carolina A high school student said her teacher accused her of vandalism and told her law enforcement was investigating her after she painted her school’s “spiritual rock” with a religious and patriotic tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

According to a new complaint filed Monday and shared first with Fox News Digital, Gabby Stout, a student at Ardrey Kell High School, called her school’s front office on Sept. 12 to ask if she could paint the school’s spiritual rock with a patriotic message in honor of Kirk, who had been killed two days earlier. Stout was told she could do so as long as the message did not contain vulgarity or politics.

The complaint states that she and two friends proceeded to draw a heart and an American flag with the message “Freedom 1776” and a tribute to Charlie Kirk: “Live Like Kirk – John 11:25” on September 13. The students also painted their first names on the rock.

Within hours, school officials painted over the rock, according to the complaint. On September 14, the school principal sent a school-wide message stating that the spirit rock had been painted with an unauthorized message. The letter described what happened as an act of vandalism and a violation of the student code of conduct, saying that law enforcement had been contacted and an investigation was underway.

Charlie Kirk appears at the Fiserv Forum on the third night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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“I was completely shocked,” Stout told Fox News Digital. “I felt so scared because I had no idea what I had done wrong or that I might get in trouble for even sharing and expressing my opinions and beliefs.”

Stout sent a letter that same day to school officials admitting that she had painted the rock but had permission from the front office.

The next school day, she was repeatedly pulled out of class and sent to the principal’s office, where she was interrogated and asked to write a statement about what she had done and then forced to revise it after she forgot to include a Bible verse in her emotional state. She was also asked to give up her cell phone to be searched, all without informing her Constitutional rights Or in the presence of a legal advisor.

“I was so afraid I could barely hold my pen and write [the statement],” she told Fox News Digital.

The next day, the district announced a revised policy for its Spirit Rock speech code that prohibits all political or religious messages and requires that messages reflect “positive school spirit” and “inclusive values” and be in “good taste.”

Gabby Stout and her friends painted Charlie Kirk’s message on the school’s “Soul Rock” after his death. (Alliance Defending Freedom)

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That same day, the principal informed Stout’s mother that the investigation into her daughter had been closed, and no disciplinary action would be taken.

On October 11, the school district sent an internal letter to the Ardrey Kill High School community to “clarify” the principal’s September 14 statement. The Spirit Rock incident “was not an act of vandalism,” “was not a violation of the student code of conduct,” and “no law enforcement was contacted to conduct an investigation,” the letter stated.

The complaint alleges that the school’s statement did not admit that it forced Stout to prepare a written statement without notifying her of her rights, and said its claim that she did not contact law enforcement contradicted her previous statement to Local news outlet WFAE.

Stout’s parents say the school board has refused to issue a public correction to clear Gabby’s name, despite their repeated requests.

Since the incident I have faced… Health problems from stress and isolation He was ostracized by friends and fellow students, the complaint says. On social media, Stout was targeted for about six weeks with messages from students and others online celebrating the news that she would be investigated and disciplined, the complaint says. The messages celebrated the idea of ​​Stout and her friends going to prison, called them “racist thugs” and left threats like “die like Kirk.”

A portrait of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has been placed on a memorial in his honor, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

The complaint, filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of the student’s parents, alleges that the school’s actions and policies violated her rights under the First, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. It calls on the school to issue a public statement acknowledging these violations, and calls on the school to remove all negative information from Stout School records and issue a formal letter of apology.

It also demands that the school stop enforcing vandalism and revised speech code policies regarding soul rock music, claiming that the policies allow viewpoint discrimination.

The school had posted personal and political messages on the rock before this incident. In 2020, the school allowed students to paint an important pro-Black Lives Matter message on the rock. The students drew a “Black Power” fist symbol along with the names of individuals they believed were victims of police brutality, the complaint said. After other students painted the BLM message, the school board held an emergency meeting and allowed students to repaint the BLM message again, this time with more political messages including “No Justice. No Peace,” “I Can’t Breathe” and “Stop Police Brutality.”

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“Spirit Rock” image painted with Black Lives Matter message in 2020. (Alliance Defending Freedom)

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In November, school officials also facilitated students’ exit from class to school Protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Advisor Travis Parham told Fox News Digital.

“So they will facilitate this kind of leftist student expression, and not only facilitate it, but praise the students who participated,” he said. “But let Gabe express a conservative or Christian view on soul rock, and the criminal charges will fly.”

Stout told Fox News Digital that she felt targeted Her beliefs.

“I don’t think what happened to me was fair because of my religious and conservative beliefs or views,” she said. “This had never happened to another group that the district or school agreed with. I thought I would get in trouble for sharing my opinions and beliefs.”

A new complaint filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom alleges that a North Carolina high school violated a student’s constitutional rights in how it handled a dispute over a spiritual rock painted in honor of Charlie Kirk. (Belherrera/Getty)

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The complaint was filed by the student’s parents against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. The court is also asked to award nominal and compensatory damages for constitutional violations, attorneys’ fees and costs, and any additional relief the court deems appropriate.

The board did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.