The Cape Elizabeth School Committee is appealing a federal judge's decision to temporarily block the three-day suspension of a Cape Elizabeth High School Student accused of bullying.
School officials suspended Aela Mansmann after she posted a note in a bathroom saying "There's a rapist in our school and you know who it is."
Cape Elizabeth Superintendent Donna Wolfrom says the district felt compelled to appeal a decision, which they say would affect other communities.
“We talked about the impact that the decision would have on our ability to promote safety and keep our students safe in our schools, and on the other students in the state of Maine, as well,” she says. “The impact it would have on other schools.”
The American Civil Liberties Union says Mansmann wasn't targeting one student, but raising awareness of sexual violence in school and motivating school administrators to act.
In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker writes that Mansmann is likely to succeed on her First Amendment claims.
