Republicans in the Arizona House on Monday called for the state attorney general to look into “possible free speech violations” at a high school.
State House Majority Leader Warren Petersen (R) sent a letter signed by 26 other Republican lawmakers to Mark Brnovich asking him to investigate reports that faculty at Perry High School in Gilbert, Ariz., ordered students to remove “Make America Great Again” attire.
The lawmakers said that doing so would be a violation of the students’s constitutional right to freedom of expression.
“Given that the free speech of all U.S. citizens is guaranteed in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, we ask that you, as the state’s chief legal officer, examine the facts of this case to ensure that the rights of these students were not infringed upon,” the letter says.
A spokesman for Brnovich told the Arizona Republic that the attorney general is investigating the situation.
“We received the letter,” Ryan Anderson said. “We’ll look at all of the facts. We just don’t know enough about the situation right now.”
A spokesperson for Chandler Unified School District said that no students were punished for expressing their political opinions. Students were not asked to put away any Trump gear other than a banner, Terry Locke told the Republic.
“We welcome the oversight,” he added.
Perry High School Principal Dan Serrano said students carrying a Trump sign created a safety concern during Friday’s lunch in an email to parents, according to the Republic.
Serrano said that students brought the signs out again after school and refused to leave school grounds despite being asked to by the school’s resource officer.