ITAWAMBA COUNTY, Miss. – A federal appeals court says a high school student who was suspended in Itawamba County was just exercising his right to free speech. School leaders say Taylor Bell caused a major disruption.
Bell was sent to alternative school for seven days after writing a rap song criticizing two coaches he accused of having inappropriate relationships with students and posting it online.
A federal court in Mississippi upheld the schools decision, but the Fifth Circuit Court said suspension was uncalled for because Bell recorded the song while off campus and uploaded it on his own computer.
