Probation ends early for cheerleaders who posed with Trump banner, NC district says
Cheerleaders at a North Carolina high school are no longer on probation for posing in uniform with a pro-Trump banner during a football game, district officials announced Thursday.
Stanly County Schools Superintendent Jeff James said the team opted to appeal the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s September decision placing it on probation until the end of the football season.
The initial decision by the state athletic group set off a national conversation about free speech.
The NCHSAA relented in part to that appeal, according to a letter James read from during a school board meeting Thursday night.
“In order to restore the educational mission of North Stanly High School, while helping the cheerleaders return to their role of promoting school spirit and supporting their sports teams, the NCHSAA will end the probation period earlier than initially indicated, ending October 4, 2019, which is five weeks prior to the end of the season,” the letter states.
State officials also clarified the premature end “neither dismisses nor negates board policies relative to political campaigning.”
They also called out what they saw as “inappropriate behavior” modeled by some community members during the backlash.
“It’s regrettable and disappointing that adults, especially those outside Stanly County, interjected themselves in the situation,” the letter reportedly states.
The superintendent echoed that sentiment.
“Believe me, you wouldn’t want to hear half the phone calls I received,” he said. “I’m still taking a Q-tip to clean my ear out.”
The NCHSAA initially placed the cheerleaders on probation over a photo of them that circulated on social media, which showed several members of the team posing in uniform around a banner that read “Trump 2020: Make America Great Again.”
District officials said the squad would still cheer during Friday night football games, and the NCHSAA clarified the probation was not a form of punishment, The Charlotte Observer reported.
But some were still unhappy with the decision, setting off a nationwide debate as to whether the cheerleaders’ First Amendment rights were infringed.
A few community members organized a rally to support the team before a football game scheduled Sept. 20. District officials eventually canceled the game, citing information they received which “could compromise safety measures our schools have in place for sporting events” — but the rally went ahead as planned.
Sheriff Jeff Crisco told the Observer he had planned to send at least 70 deputies to the game for added security — about seven times as many deputies than would normally be at the game.
“That probably would have been the safest ball game in the state of North Carolina,” he said.
But that kind of security would have cost a minimum of $7,500, school board member Ryan McIntyre said Thursday.
The superintendent further clarified during the school board meeting that a threat circulated on social media the morning of the game. It was unsubstantiated, but he said parents and students were rightfully still concerned.
“I would not send my daughter to a stadium with 70 officers on site,” James said. “That just tells the story.”
Melvin Poole, chair of the board, also had a message for the rally organizers and others who have criticized their decision to cancel the game.
“You need to get a grip on what patriotism is.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2019 at 12:41 PM.
