Michigan teacher 'aggressively' rips 'Women For Trump' pin off student's jacket, girl's family files assault complaint
MICHIGAN: A high school student from Michigan was reportedly assaulted by her teacher last week because she was wearing a pin in support of President Donald J Trump.
Speaking to Fox News, 16-year-old Sadie Earegood, a junior at Mason High in Mason, Michigan, said that her teacher Paul Kato "aggressively" grabbed a "Women For Trump" pin on her jacket, saying he "took both hands and unlatched the pin from my jacket and put it upside down on his shirt and said it belongs upside down".
"I was just really shocked that a teacher would especially do that," she said. "He's talking about the 'Women for Trump' pin and I said, 'that's fine you don't have to like it, we can have our opinions'."
According to her, the incident occurred during school hours on December 5.
According to WILX 10, her family subsequently filed a police complaint, saying the teacher had assaulted her.
“He had no right to put his hands on my child over a pin or anything else,” Sadie’s mother, Capi Earegood, said. “The First Amendment gives everyone the right to express their freedom of speech. No one should get that upset about someone wearing a political pin.”
After receiving the student's complaint, Mason Public Schools alerted authorities. However, the school district could not provide further details about the incident citing federal laws that restrict them from discussing student-related information with anyone other than law enforcement.
Mason Police Chief Don Hanson told Fox News in a statement that police were in touch with school officials and are currently in conversation with the student's parents.
Nonetheless, Sadie has said she will neither stop being outspoken in her views nor will she stop wearing political pins. “I just want him to know that it’s not okay to do that. I want this to be a learning experience for other teachers, and I’m not going to stop wearing my political stuff,” she told WILX 10.