New Jersey high school yearbook adviser sues district over pro-Trump photos dispute

A high school teacher in New Jersey who oversees the school’s student-published yearbook is suing after she says she was suspended for following a request from the principal to remove pro-Trump language from photos that appeared in the publication.

The Associated Press reported that Susan Parsons filed suit Monday, claiming that the school district set her up for punishment after a secretary for her school’s principal ordered her to edit photos in which students are wearing shirts and other clothing with pro-Trump messages to obscure the slogans.

{mosads}She is also seeking to have a district policy which bans her from speaking publicly about the facts surrounding the dispute to be struck down as a violation of her constitutional rights, according to the AP.

“What happened to her is really just egregious,” her attorney told the news service.

Parsons was reportedly suspended after several photos, including one in which a student is wearing a “Make America Great Again” T-shirt, were edited to hide the messages, which became a national news story after being shared by right-leaning news outlets.

She alleged in the lawsuit that the district subjected her to a hostile work environment by barring her from speaking to the media in an attempt to clear her name.

Wall Township school district superintendent Cheryl Dyer defended her office’s actions in a statement to the AP, while acknowledging that she had not reviewed the lawsuit.

“I’m confident that when the full facts come to light, all of the actions of this office and the board of education will be found to be wholly appropriate,” Dyer said.