TRI In The News

Rutherford Institute to Appeal Decision to Expel Spotsylvania High School Student

From The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star
Original article available here.

Expulsion of student is appealed in Spotsy

The Rutherford Institute is taking the Spotsylvania County school system to court for expelling a high school freshman who hit classmates with plastic pellets blown from a plastic tube.

The institute, a Charlottesville civil liberties group, announced yesterday that it has filed an appeal of the School Board's decision to expel Andrew Mikel II in Spotsylvania Circuit Court.

Andrew, 14, a freshman at Spotsylvania High School, was also charged with misdemeanor assault, his father, Andrew Mikel said. The charges will be dropped if he completes a diversion program, which includes 24 hours of community service.

Rutherford Institute President John W. Whitehead said in a statement that Andrew is "merely the latest in a long line of victims of school zero tolerance policies."