School district found out about farmer's controversial tweets. He sued when they canceled field trip

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

OAK GLEN, Calif. - A dense fog hung over James Riley's homestead in this apple-growing community as the platoon of buses, carrying 150 mostly Latino and black fifth-graders, pulled up.

Here in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, about 80 miles from downtown L.A., the 59-year-old Riley and his employees grow fruit and vegetables through most of the year. But their main crop is living history: musical theater, educational workshops and historical re-enactments of everything from the Gold Rush era to the Civil War - all centered on a mock 1770s-era New England town that Riley designed.

College-age actors in three-cornered hats and bonnets, nattering away in faux-British accents, teach life lessons from the Revolutionary War: how to spool thread, roll a hoop with a stick and not run afoul of the Quartering Act of 1765, the Parliament diktat that forced Americans to house and feed British soldiers.

"Fifth-graders are sort of the magic age," Riley said. "They're not too cool yet, they still like to pretend."

Even so, Riley said, his liberty to pursue this unique form of happiness is under attack.

-snip-

Last September, someone had uncovered tweets from Riley in which he stated that "black supremacy" was as problematic as white racism, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Native American heritage was bogus, and that his generation may be the last one "born with only two genders."

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Soon the backlash landed on Riley and his farm. Parents and activists called for a boycott, in Facebook and Twitter posts shared by thousands. His own brother and nephew, who run nearby apple farms, distanced themselves.

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The Claremont Unified School District told Riley in a letter that it would no longer send students to his farm and was under "no obligation to expose children to an individual who engages in these crude and tasteless comments."

In response, Riley has sued Claremont Unified, its superintendent, board trustees and two district principals, alleging they had violated his First (free speech) and 14th (equal protection under the law) Amendment rights. He is seeking more than $10 million in damages.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-school-district-found-out-about-an-apple-farmers-controversial-tweets-he-sued-when-they-canceled-their-field-trips/ar-BBU0qE7?li=BBnb7Kz

Is his lawyer the same one representing the kid from Covington Catholic school?

[TheBlackAdder]

1. So he can have "free" speech, but the school disctrict can't have disgressionary control of spending

.

No one arrested him for this words, they just choose not to associate with him.

.

[aikoaiko]

3. I suspect the farmer is going to argue that an agent of the government

... (the school district) is punishing him for his speech.

But the school may have some latitude when “ protecting children”.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Womp, womp! "Free" has never meant "without consequences"...

[Cha]

4. I hope he goes down with his

stupid racist comments.