Rich Pedroncelli / AP
Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., speaks at the 19th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit at Zephyr Cove, Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, in South Lake Tahoe, Nev.
Published Monday, March 26, 2018 | 9:13 a.m.
Updated Monday, March 26, 2018 | 5:16 p.m.
RENO — A Northern Nevada school district has reversed a high school student's suspension imposed after a Republican congressman's office complained to administrators about a call from the teenager.
The Washoe County School District's superintendent said Friday that students have a First Amendment right to express themselves and be politically engaged.
The American Civil Liberties Union intervened on behalf of McQueen High School student Noah Christiansen, who called the office of U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei earlier this month as part of a nationwide protest against gun violence.
The teenager said he could have used better language during the call, but that it's his right to use the words he wants.
The Washoe schools district attorney Neil Rombardo defended the school's actions in a letter to the ACLU but said the matter was not worth fighting in court.
Amodei said last week that his office has been fielding calls and messages from people who drop the f-bomb a few times and then hang up. He acknowledged that he and President Donald Trump have both used strong language in the past, but that he accepts the consequences of his own words.
Amodei said this incident represented a unique set of circumstances for his office and that his staff is not in the habit of reporting callers for colorful language. The student who cursed was the only one out of hundreds of callers to distinguish himself in his demeanor and language. He said the student has a right to free speech, and the staffer who reported the call, Arturo Garzon, has the right to react to what was said.
“I don’t call up as a congressman to people that I don’t know and start swearing at them on the phone,” Amodei said. “… When I do say something as a congressman in a public group, I take and accept full responsibility for how I am judged by people for doing that.”
Sun reporter Yvonne Gonzalez contributed to this report.
