After a Natrona County High School senior said her First Amendment rights were potentially being infringed upon for trying to start a club affiliated with Turning Point USA, the state’s top education official –- who is a fellow alum – backed her publicly on Thursday.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder issued an official Wyoming Department of Education statement Thursday, in which she said she stands with 17-year old Natrona County High School student Kylie Wall “and with any student in Wyoming who wants to learn and engage civically and thoughtfully.”
“Our administrators and teachers must foster environments that are safe for ideas and debate, not closed classrooms where only certain viewpoints are tolerated,” Degenfelder wrote.
The superintendent’s comments Thursday stem from interactions between Wall, a senior at Natrona County High School, and Principal Aaron Wilson and other leadership at the school about creating a Turning Point USA chapter.
Wall told Cowboy State Daily this week that she has been trying to start a high school chapter affiliated with Turning Point USA, but that Wilson hesitated and warned her to “be careful about this.”
Slain conservative influencer Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA. His Sept.10 assassination has been a political flash point and has sparked an influx of new TPUSA chapters – and donations toward them.
Wall also said she’s encountered evidence that at least one teacher took down a poster she hung, announcing the formation of the club.
Last Friday, Wall said, she was putting up posters that were approved by Wilson around the high school to promote the group’s meeting next Monday.
After she placed one poster on the wall, she walked down a hall and heard someone ripping paper.
She retraced her steps to where she placed the poster, saw it was torn off the wall, and a teacher walking away down the hall. Wall said she took a photo of the teacher walking down the hall after the incident. She also reported it to the principal.
“I brought it to the principal, and he told me that he had already discussed (the posters) with a teacher once and this time he didn’t know if it was the same teacher,” Wall said. “He said he was going to send out a blanket email to all staff telling them that they can’t do that and that they are approved.”
As of Monday morning, Wall said, another teacher had told her that email had not gone out yet.
Degenfelder’s Word
Degenfelder issued a warning in her Thursday statement:
“To administrators who would stifle student speech or treat one club differently from another: this is your wake-up call. The Constitution does not stop at the schoolhouse doors.”
Stifling speech and debate is “crossing a line that I will not ignore," she wrote, adding, “Every student in this state has the right to speak, to question, and to debate in school."
In a Thursday email to Cowboy State Daily, Degenfelder said that Wall contacted her when the issues happened.
“I made it clear that this situation is unacceptable, and I hope that the district recognized the seriousness of the issue,” Degenfelder said in the email. “Now I expect to see action that ensures that this student has a fair and equal chance to be heard.”
Wilson, the Natrona County High School principal, did not immediately respond to a Thursday request for comment via phone or email.
Tanya Southerland, a spokeswoman for Natrona County School District, who responded on behalf of Wilson Thursday, did not answer questions about Degenfelder’s comments.
The district directed the Cowboy State Daily to two Club America (the high school version of TPUSA) chapters at Natrona County High School and Kelly Walsh High School.
“These student-led clubs are open to high school students who are interested in learning about government, civic responsibility, and active citizenship,” Southerland wrote in an email. “Like all student-led clubs, school-based meetings are student-driven and are not open to the public.”
Degenfelder told Cowboy State Daily that she is confident that Natrona County Public School Superintendent Angela Hensley and other district leadership handle the matter seriously.
She also noted that “personnel matters” like Wall described are under the purview of the elected school board and the superintendent.
The Road Ahead
For Wall, the decision to pursue a chapter and partner with nearby Kelly Walsh High School’s chapter, is a simple decision.
About 15 people from Natrona County High School have expressed interest in joining, she previously told Cowboy State Daily. She added that she knows the risk in going public with her concerns.
“It’s worth it, because again I am fighting for my First Amendment right, I am fighting for my God-given rights in the Constitution, and I am fighting for my right to the Equal Access Act,” she said.
Degenfelder said there is a personal connection between her and Wall – the superintendent also attended Natrona County High School. Degenfelder said she is proud that students like Wall stand up for their beliefs, even when it is difficult.
“As someone who came through this exact public school myself, I couldn’t be prouder to see young people like Kylie insisting that their voices are heard,” she wrote in an email. “I certainly know what it’s like to be a conservative on campus, and it takes real courage to stand up for your values.”
Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve@cowboystatedaily.com.
