Santa Rosa Students Walk Out Over Football Captain's Post
Santa Rosa City Schools punished a football captain for an Instagram post, sparking student walkouts and a game forfeit over sexual assault policies.
Piner High School and the Santa Rosa City Schools district punished a student football captain after he posted "Free the Cornell Seven" on his personal Instagram account. School administrators based the disciplinary action on a zero-tolerance policy against making light of sexual assault.
Approximately 200 students responded by walking out of class and marching to district offices. The protesters demanded increased support for victims of sexual violence and more severe punishment for the student. The unrest led the football team to forfeit a scheduled game.
District public information officer Patrick Gannon stated that accountability and safety remain top priorities. However, the move drew criticism from law professor Jonathan Turley, who argued the punishment violates the student's First Amendment rights because the speech occurred on a personal account and did not incite violence or disrupt school operations.
