A mother in the Gardner Edgerton School District in Kansas who led several pushes to remove books from school libraries is now suing the district after the superintendent banned her from school property for violating a policy prohibiting parents from bullying school staff.

Superintendent Brian Huff sent Carrie Schmidt a letter limiting her access to school functions suggesting that photos she took in the high school and shared with an anti-LGBTQ social media influencer last month led to a teacher being harassed and threatened.

In her lawsuit, filed with the U.S. District Court of Kansas, Schmidt claims that her First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to due process and equal protection were violated after the district restricted her access to certain public spaces — including school board meetings — and required her to get permission from district officials in order to attend any school or district events, including her son’s high school graduation in May.

“Ms. Schmidt now bears the marks of being exiled and banned in retaliation under the heavy hand of government bullying as a result of her whistleblowing efforts revealing the indoctrinating literature contained in this school’s curriculum and library,” according to the filed complaint.

On Thursday, a judge granted Schmidt a temporary injunction, allowing her to again attend school events until the case is resolved, according to her lawyer Linus Baker.

In her suit, Schmidt also claims that the district violated President Donald Trump’s executive order to “end radical indoctrination in K-12 schooling” by allowing teachers to hang posters and brochures for the Gay Straight Alliance Club inside the high school. Trump’s order directed the U.S. Department of Education to stop funding and supporting education “based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.”

“This lawsuit seeks relief for this parent and all parents who dare to push back on government bureaucrats more interested in keeping secrets in preserving the sorry status quo of today’s government schools … rather than listening and changing with a view toward partnering with parents to refocus on the core values of education,” the complaint stated.

Bans and restrictions

Schmidt first made local headlines nearly two years ago, when she filed several challenges to books in Gardner Edgerton school libraries, arguing that the books included sexual content that amounted to pornography, as well as violence and discussions of self-harm and abuse that she said were harmful and inappropriate for students.

She encouraged other parents to challenge books as well, as part of a push from the national conservative activist group Moms for Liberty. As of August 2024, more than 40 books had been submitted for the district to review.

Last month, days before Schmidt filed her lawsuit, she was at Gardner Edgerton High School, where her two children attend, during off-school hours to help pack snack bags for the school’s sports teams.

While she was on campus, Schmidt took photos of posters and stickers displayed in classroom windows. The photos, which were attached in the complaint, depict rainbow colors with the words “safe space for all” and “ally.”

She sent the photos to “Libs of Tiktok,” a conservative and anti-LGBTQ social media account. The account later posted a photo of the signs that included a teacher’s name, and the caption reads “School in Gardner, Kansas. … Strip them of funding immediately.”

In response to the post, numerous people threatened, intimidated and harassed the teacher — causing a “material disruption to the school environment,” Superintendent Brian Huff said in his letter to Schmidt.

“This type of conduct is inappropriate, unacceptable and cannot be tolerated in our schools,” Huff said in the letter.

The superintendent’s letter ultimately restricted Schmidt from school district property or attending school events or activities without written permission from building administration, and stated that she couldn’t have any form of contact with the impacted teacher.

Violating school policies

Schmidt argued that she has the right to attend open public meetings and access a church that sits on district property, and that she cannot be deprived of that access without due process.

“It is unknown what policy, if any, was invoked for this process, but it certainly was not fair in failing to provide a notice of policy violation, the possible consequences, and a fair time in which Carrie (Schmidt) and her children could be heard,” according to the complaint. “Instead it was a rush to a judgement that had already been determined by defendant Huff.”

The district’s response to Schmidt’s complaint claims that Schmidt “intended and knew, or reasonably understood the likelihood based on her prior experience” that the teacher would be bullied or harassed by sharing her first and last name on the Libs of TikTok account on X, formerly Twitter.

The post, which caused the teacher to fear for her personal safety, violated the school board’s policy that prohibits bullying by parents, the district said.

“Plaintiff Schmidt does not like the fact that she has lost the privilege to come onto school property as a volunteer with little or no direct supervision and being required to first obtain permission,” according to the filed response. “But this does not give her a valid claim under the U.S. Constitution against any Defendant nor does it entitle her to … unfettered access to school district property or activities.”

According to court documents, Chief District Judge Eric Melgren granted Schmidt a temporary injunction to attend school events until the case is resolved and will issue a written order in the coming days.

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