Commentary: Does a student free speech case in Chappaqua throw up caution signs about DEI policies in Croton? [Updated]

A federal lawsuit brought by Horace Greeley HS student "O.J." against the Chappaqua school district suggests that policies designed to protect vulnerable groups could sometimes end up harming them.

As a general rule, The Croton Chronicle restricts its coverage to people and events in Croton, rather than try to cover our numerous neighboring communities. But sometimes things that happen in nearby places are relevant to our village as well. That was certainly true for our report on the latest news on the cleanup of radioactive waste at Indian Point, for example. And in light of current debates about diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the Croton-Harmon school district, we think it is true for a lawsuit brought this week by an LGBTQ student against the Chappaqua Central School District and top administrators for suspending him for “hate speech” against—the LGBTQ community.

We think the case has important ramifications for any school district, including our own, that is considering or enforcing DEI policies. It also raises—or should we say re-raises, since certain aspects of student free speech are a matter of settled law—the question of how far school officials should go to police speech inside and outside the classroom.