Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (R)
Attorney General Jeff Landry is investigating whether the Jefferson Parish School system violated the constitution by suspending a fourth-grader after a teacher saw the child move a BB gun during virtual instruction. Woodmere Elementary 4th grader Ka Mauri Harrison was suspended for six days.
“This is the school being allowed to basically go inside of a home, that is an invasion portion and I think the school should have taken a lot more care,” said Landry.
The nine-year-old’s brother had entered the room and tripped over the gun, at which point Harrison place the gun to the side, but still within view of his web camera. Harrison now has a weapons violation on his permanent record. Harrison returned to school Thursday after his suspension ended.
Landry says not only was it an overreaction, but it was also a violation of his constitutional rights, in this case, his 2nd amendment rights.
“Say a child had a picture or a political sign of Barack Obama in his room while he was in a virtual setting, certainly the teacher couldn’t demand that be taken down,” said Landry.
The case raises the question of whether schools can control what they see in a student’s web camera. Landry says at most virtual classes are public spaces, which don’t have the same restrictions as physical school property.
“I do not believe that you can take someone’s private home, in their room, their bedroom, and square it with those institutional precedents,” said Landry.
The Jefferson Parish Public School System does not comment on a student’s individual record.
But they point to their policy that says the illegal carrying, possession, or use of a firearm or dangerous weapon within the boundaries of school property is a crime.
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