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Residents and student urge school committee to protect free-speech after student removed from D.C. trip
Summary
Public commenters at the Concord-Carlisle Regional School Committee meeting urged protection of student expression after an 8th grader, Aris Apollos, was removed from a Washington, D.C., trip over a T‑shirt. Speakers invoked Tinker v. Des Moines and asked the district to clarify and restore policies protecting student speech.
Public comment at the Concord-Carlisle Regional School Committee meeting focused on an 8th grader who said he was pulled from a Washington, D.C., trip and sent to his hotel for wearing a T‑shirt reading, “bombing kids is not self defense.”
Marybeth Tinker, a longtime free‑speech advocate, told the committee she was “heartened to see a quote by superintendent Hunter in the Concord Bridge saying, ‘we support students with whatever expression they have, whether it be speech, clothing, or other symbolism,’ ” and she urged the committee to affirm that stance. “The only exception would be if the student expression was substantially disruptive or impinged on the rights of others, and neither of those apply to Aris’s T shirt,” Tinker said.
At the microphone, Aris Apollos identified himself as an 8th grader at Concord Middle School and described his account: he said the vice principal pulled him aside, told him that parents had complained to Superintendent Hunter about his T‑shirt, and that the superintendent ordered he be excluded from the day’s activities and returned to his hotel. “The message on the shirt I wore was constitutionally protected, and therefore, the district should not have punished me for wearing it,” Aris said.
Several residents supported Aris and urged the committee to listen. Debbie Wingravets said she had not previously addressed the board but felt compelled after watching the June 3 meeting; she said the committee’s actions “did not really reflect what the values are” and called for accountability. Jean Smith called Aris “a remarkable young person” and said silencing him for standing up on a matter of conscience was wrong. Ellen Quackenbush called the nominating and leadership process at a recent meeting “flawed” and urged the committee to be more transparent. Another commenter, Nancy, said the district has a “moral duty to protect [students’] rights.”
The public comment period lasted 20 minutes. Committee members did not respond during public comment; the district’s staff and leadership were present in subsequent agenda items and signaled they would continue reviewing related policies and compliance items in the coming weeks. The committee did not take a formal vote related to the Aris incident at this meeting.
