(Headline USA) Two Texas fathers who were arrested for speaking up at their local school board meetings filed a federal lawsuit this week alleging the school district violated their constitutional rights.
Jeremy Story, a father of four, and Dustin Clark, a father of seven, were arrested in September 2021 on one misdemeanor charge each of hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct.
The charge against Story was filed after an August 2021 Round Rock Independent School District board meeting in which Story attempted to raise concerns about Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez, whom the district had recently hired. Azaiez had previously been accused of trying to force his girlfriend to get an abortion and assaulting her when she refused.
But when Story brought up the accusations against Azaiez, then-board President Amy Weir cut him off and asked police officers to escort him out of the meeting.
The charge against Clark followed a September 2021 board meeting in which the school district allowed only 18 community members to attend the meeting. When Clark attempted to speak up about the board’s efforts to keep parents out of the meeting, police removed him.