City, SRC Settle Lawsuit Over Confiscated Protest Signs
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The City of Philadelphia and the School Reform Commission have a settled a lawsuit filed by activists whose protest signs were confiscated at an SRC meeting last February.
Three retired teachers sued the SRC on First Amendment grounds after they were prohibited from holding protest signs at that contentious meeting on charter schools.
Now, the federal lawsuit has been settled.
Under the agreement, the SRC issued a statement reaffirming the rights of the public to wear clothing and carry signs that display viewpoints on public issues.
"An important message was being communicated, and they interfered with it. And that was wrong," notes plaintiffs' attorney Paul Messing. "And the school district has acknowledged that."
The city also is paying what's described as a "nominal" amount of money as damages. The plaintiffs say they'll use that to continue advocating for public schools.