Investigation into students' claims of free speech finds miscommunication at heart of problem

MARSHALL, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - An investigation into claims that a high school was trying to suppress students' freedom of speech has revealed miscommunication was at the heart of the issue.

Earlier this week, Newschannel 3 reported on the controversy.

Students in Marshall High School's Gay Straight Alliance were upset that a bulletin board raising awareness for transgender students was taken down.

They were concerned the school reacted to pressure from parents, claiming it violated religious rights and had no place in a school.

Superintendent Randy Davis looked into the events, and said he found that was not the case.

He says the board did mistakenly get taken down Friday, instead of Monday, when it was scheduled to be removed for another group to use.

Davis released a statement Thursday, apologizing for the confusion leading to a lack of trust among students.

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The full statement reads as follows:

March 31st was to be a day of awareness at Marshall High School regarding transgender students and others of the LGBTQ community. Unfortunately, it turned into a storm of controversy through social media and other formal media outlets. The controversy surrounded the removal of a poster display created by the Marshall High School's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) some time prior to the day of awareness. On Tuesday, March 31st a statement was released by the Superintendent indicating what had been reported to him regarding the timing and the reasoning behind the removal of the GSA Club's poster display. After the Superintendent's investigation concluded this morning Thursday April 2nd involving all pertinent individuals, the following sequence of events have been verified:

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Investigation into students' claims of free speech finds miscommunication at heart of problem