Crowd protests student's suspension

CELINA - More than 20 people on Wednesday protested the three-day suspension a middle-school student received after submitting a history class project that contained a toy gun.

Carrying American flags and signs, veterans, students and concerned residents picketed in front of the middle school before the school bell rang and again in front of the high school as students left school in the afternoon.

Celina High School graduate Justin Leonard organized the protest in support of eighth-grader Tyler Carlin.

School officials have said they can't comment on the incident without permission from Carlin's family due to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Travis Faber, the Carlin family's attorney, said he has notified the district's attorney that the family would consider each piece of information district officials want to release individually.

"Considering that we believe the school has already violated FERPA and that they have changed their story regarding the reason for Tyler's suspension, we cannot sign an overly broad release that will give them free reign to disclose Tyler's private information," Faber said.

The dispute arose after Tyler received a three-day in-school suspension after submitting a battlefield cross, which he created for an assignment in teacher Ryan Spriggs' history class.

Spriggs' students were assigned a project to create a veteran memorial. Tyler told the newspaper he had made a replica of a battlefield cross with help from his dad, Chris. They painted a NERF gun black and zip-tied it pointing down between a pair of child-sized black boots. He then placed a helmet on top.

Tyler said Spriggs had given him permission to submit the project, but when he brought the finished product to school on March 5, he was stopped and sent to the principal's office. He then received the in-school suspension for disruption and bringing something resembling a dangerous weapon to school, according to information provided by Faber.

District officials have since changed their stated reason for suspension to "insubordination," Faber has said.

Board president Carl Huber wrote in an email that he wants to express his appreciation for veterans and "truly wishes the board would be allowed to tell their side of the story" but can't until the Carlin family signs a letter granting permission.

"It is definitely the group's right to protest anything they see fit, as granted to us by the First Amendment. I believe it is the community's right to hear both sides so a fair judgment can be reached," he added.

"Tyler is a great kid," said protester Sydney Cluckey, Celina, who said her brother, Alex, is friends with Tyler.

"He wanted to do something that really meant a lot to him and his family," she said as patriotic music played in the background and passersby honked their horns. "He really put forth a lot of effort and was super excited to submit the project."

Celina resident Heather Applegate said she went to school wth Chris Carlin and said it's humbling to see the community support for Tyler.

"They're a great family," she said. "I realize the community has a great moral compass."

Class of 2000 member Janice Holdheide also voiced support for Tyler during a school board meeting on Monday but was interrupted by Huber. He said Holdheide and the board "could not talk about that particular incident" because doing so violates FERPA.

Faber in response said in a news release provided Wednesday that the district officials' claim is nonsensical. He noted FERPA shows that nothing in the law would restrict officials from allowing citizens from speaking at a public meeting during a meeting's public comment section.

Leonard said the board owes Tyler an apology and should remove the suspension from his record.

Leonard, a veteran, said he has saluted many battlefield crosses and said he and others will continue protesting "until we get justice for Tyler."

Resident and fellow veteran Toney Kidwell said every board member should resign.