Family fights for son’s future after school deems ‘Dr. Pepper gun’ post a threat

Full story The mother of a Missouri high school student filed a lawsuit against the Mountain View-Birch Tree R-III School District, claiming the school violated her son’s First Amendment rights after suspending him over a Snapchat post made off campus. Wyatt Grunden, 14, was suspended for three days after posting an image on Snapchat that showed Dr. Pepper cans glued together to resemble an AK-47. The post also featured a song titled “AK-47” added through the app’s music feature. According to the lawsuit, the district searched Wyatt upon his return to school despite admitting it found no credible evidence of a threat. “They told me it was cyberbullying and threatening the school,” his mother, Riley Grunden, said. “That would be on his record.” Legal team argues First Amendment rights The lawsuit, filed by the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute’s American Freedom Network, argues that Wyatt’s off-campus speech is protected under the U.S. Constitution. It claims the district overstepped its authority by disciplining a student for private, non-school-related social media activity. “If he had sent out a threat or any kind of message with that photo, that would be different,” Riley Grunden said. “But he didn’t. We don’t just let him do whatever
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