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Plum students protest after warning to stay quiet during investigation, district responds

PITTSBURGH — Students are expected to hold a protest for a second day outside of Plum Senior High School Tuesday in response to an assembly where they said their First Amendment rights were violated.

Meanwhile, a school board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night. A board meeting will allow for parents to speak out and the district to explain the next steps in the investigation.

Dozens of students protested outside the school Monday. The protests came after many said they felt threatened by school officials as the investigation into a teacher sex scandal at the school continues.

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Students told Channel 11 News they were locked out of the school when they joined the protest.

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Last week, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala urged any more potential victims in the investigation to come forward.

Less than 24 hours later, students at the school told Channel 11 News that they were threatened not to talk about what’s happening at the school on social media. The American Civil Liberties Union threatened legal action if the district did not retract the statements to students by noon Monday.

"What the school district and the Plum police did was not only unacceptable but unconstitutional,” said Vic Walczak, with the ACLU. “You cannot threaten to prosecute anybody, including students, for simply talking about a matter of public concern.”

District superintendent Dr. Timothy Glasspool released the following statement Monday morning in response to the students' concerns:

"Dear Students, Parents and Residents:

This letter is an effort to clarify the District's position with respect to statements made at the assembly held on April 24, 2015. It is the position of the Plum Borough School District that the District will not take actions that infringe upon the First Amendment rights of its students or staff with respect to their use of social media. The District will not prevent of inhibit any individuals from engaging in constitutionally protected speech. The comments made at the assembly were not intended to infringe upon any First Amendment rights. It is not the District's intent to prosecute or discipline any students for exercising those rights to the extent they are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Be assured that the intent of the assembly was to provide protection to all of our students. We would again urge that all individuals refrain from engaging in any irresponsible, harassing and/or intimidating communications with respect to the ongoing investigations."

Students told Channel's Alan Jennings that they felt the assembly was meant to deprive them of their right to free speech.

“She was like, ‘They just had an assembly this morning threatening all of us and said if we talked to anyone’ -- she never even mentioned social media, she just said talk in general -- ‘we would be prosecuted,’” parent Danielle Shields said.

Shields said her daughter told her police and the principal attended the assembly.

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At least one student recorded the assembly on her cellphone.

Below is an excerpt of what Plum Police Chief Jeff Armstrong is heard saying in the recording:

"We want to make sure you understand the gravity of what the ramifications are if some of your behaviors that people may be engaging in the use of Twitter, Facebook or other social media. When you use those devices to make derogatory or irresponsible or immature or detrimental comments about victims or witnesses involved in the investigations, you committed a crime."

Shields told Jennings that she, her daughter and other parents interpret Armstrong’s words as an attempt to silence the students’ freedom of speech.

"(My daughter) said it came off completely wrong, especially with the police there at the assembly as well. She said it just wasn’t a good look,” Shields said.

Armstrong, however, explained the intentions of the assembly to Channel 11 News this way: “Students were cautioned not to make social media comments about victims that could be construed as witness intimidation, possibly leading to legal action.”

A spokesperson for the Allegheny District Attorney’s Office said late Friday the office wants to speak with Armstrong, adding there has been no indication students have threatened other students.

The spokesperson said many students have actually been willing to help in the investigation.

The Plum school board will hold an executive session Monday evening. Executive sessions are closed to the public.

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