The parents of an expelled student are suing a Connecticut private school after they accused the school of expelling their child for being a conservative.
Theodore and Sonia Mancini, parents of 16-year-old Michael Mancini, said they will file the lawsuit against Cheshire Academy for breach of contract on the basis of discrimination. The pair allege that the school expelled their son because of conservative comments he made in an English class this academic year and say that the school has not upheld their promise that it “would be tolerant of their political views.”
The incident happened during a class discussion of gender fluidity themes presented in William Shakepseare’s “Twelfth Night.” When classmates made the argument that transgenderism was an important element of the work’s social setting, Mancini disagreed, arguing that “that kind of behavior was frowned upon” at the time, according to his parents.
After Mancini made the comments, the parents say that their son was verbally assaulted by students in the class. That disagreement between Mancini and his classmates led to his expulsion from the school earlier this week.
“I do a lot of school litigation on bullying cases and in a sense, this is bullying for having non-traditional ideas,” family attorney Jamie Sullivan told the New Haven Register. “It belies the whole concept of liberalism, which is to embrace diverse ideas. In this politically correct environment, they are being very intolerant.”
The lawsuit also names Julie Anderson, the head of the school, and Wesley Simon, the school’s dean.
Anderson pushed back against the family’s claims in a letter this week, saying that Mancini’s expulsion came after a thorough and fair process. The head of the school also says that Mancini was “given a number of chances to adhere to our expectations and the rules and code of conduct of Cheshire Academy.”
“Contrary to what you may have read, our decision was not based on an opposition to political dialogue,” the letter states. “We will take steps to defend the good name and reputation of CA, and will continue to work with legal counsel through this unfortunate episode.”
