Smith County teen suspended from school for Instagram comment, sues – The Tennessean

Dec. 22, 2025, 5:06 a.m. CT A sophomore at Gordonsville High School is suing after he was suspended for an alleged “threat” he made on an Instagram post. The student’s lawyer says the comment was “good old fashioned trash talking” ahead of a rivalry football game. The case joins a rising trend of students ensnared in recently reinforced laws addressing perceived threats against schools, which critics say are overly broad. A sophomore at a Tennessee high school is suing his board of education and two faculty members after he was suspended from school for a year following social media comments he made on a personal Instagram account. J.T. Summers, a minor student at Gordonsville High School in Smith County, is suing the Smith County Board of Education as well as the director of schools, Barry Smith, and the school’s principal Mac Petty, for an “unconstitutional expulsion” and violation of his First Amendment rights. His case joins one of many across Tennessee as a result of recently tightened laws regarding perceived threats against schools. Summers’ ordeal started with an Instagram comment posted on a friend’s post in late October. Summers plays football for Gordonsville High, which has a longstanding rivalry with
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