High Schooler Came Out as Gay Online. Days Later She Was Suspended and Banned from Graduation: Lawsuit

A student has revenge a suit against her precocious school, alleging that she was suspended, banned from field and prohibited from attending graduation aft coming retired arsenic cheery connected societal media and revealing she had a girlfriend.

According to a title obtained by PEOPLE and revenge connected May 19, Morgan Armstrong, an 18-year-old graduating elder astatine Tennessee Christian Preparatory School, made nan societal media station connected April 23, penning "cats outta nan bag."

A screenshot of nan post, which was included successful nan complaint, showed Armstrong and her woman kissing and holding hands.

In an question and reply pinch The Washington Post, Armstrong defended nan post. “Everyone other gets to station their fellow aliases girlfriend. So conscionable because I person a woman and I’m a girl, why does that mean that I shouldn’t beryllium capable to?" she asked. "I emotion my woman and I wanted to show it.”

Days aft making nan post, Armstrong was summoned to nan administrator's agency and fixed a suspension letter, according to nan complaint.

The suspension letter, which was included successful nan complaint, stated that Armstrong would not beryllium allowed connected field aliases immoderate schoolhouse events, including but not constricted to graduation, which took spot connected May 10.

Although nan schoolhouse said that her certificate will beryllium mailed to her connected June 15, nan title alleged that nan schoolhouse "explicitly threatened to sabotage Morgan’s assemblage admissions process and to withhold Morgan’s diploma" if location was immoderate "online slander" astir nan schoolhouse aliases anybody associated pinch it.

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Additionally, nan schoolhouse alleged successful nan missive that Morgan's societal media posting included "a disparaging remark reflecting nan group astatine Tennessee Christian," a declare that Armstrong disputes.

The title claimed that her suspension missive mentioned a backstage connection that nan elder sent to immoderate of her friends that read: “go for illustration and remark connected my station guys bc if nary 1 connected my socials knew I was cheery past they judge arsenic hellhole do now truthful this is simply a large point tbh, besides I’m kinda frightened astir nan facebook comments bc one person immoderate ruthless trump supporting 'jesus' mfs connected there.”

However, according to nan complaint, that connection did not mention to nan school, but alternatively to immoderate of Armstrong's relatives — group who, according to Armstrong, “profess but do not believe Christian principles of love, acceptance, and compassion.”

The title alleged nan existent logic why nan schoolhouse suspended her “was nan truth that she had travel retired arsenic gay" — and that moreover if she had violated nan school's societal media policy, since this would person been a first-time offense, nan maximum argumentation should person been a 1 time in-school suspension.

In a connection shared pinch NBC connection WRCB, nan schoolhouse rejected nan allegations made successful Armstrong’s lawsuit, calling them “misleading.”

“Despite this expected ineligible dispute, Tennessee Christian remains afloat committed to delivering Morgan Armstrong’s diploma. Our extremity continues to beryllium nan world and individual occurrence of each student, moreover successful nan look of conflict aliases disagreement. We wish Morgan Armstrong nan very champion arsenic she continues her academics successful college,” wrote Jared Tilley, Tennessee Christian’s caput of school.

PEOPLE contacted Tennessee Christian Preparatory School for remark connected Thursday, May 29.

Armstrong and her parents, who are named co-plaintiffs successful nan suit, are seeking to expunge Armstrong’s suspension grounds and disciplinary violation, let her to return her last exams, forbid nan schoolhouse from withholding her certificate and prohibit nan schoolhouse from “sabotaging” Armstrong’s assemblage admissions process.

“School is simply a spot wherever each student is entitled to consciousness welcome, accepted, and supported,” Daniel A. Horwitz, Armstrong’s attorney, said successful a connection “It is not a spot wherever immoderate administrator should consciousness comfortable disciplining kids for being cheery aliases threatening to sabotage their assemblage admissions process.”