Parents at The Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans say that after they criticized the school for drifting from its educational mission, administrators responded not with dialogue, but with retaliation. The school sent threatening cease-and-desist letters after their criticism of the school became public.
That should alarm anyone who cares about free speech.
The First Amendment protects the right to criticize government institutions – including public charter schools. Parents do not surrender that right when they enroll their children in school. Yet The Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans appears to be using its authority to intimidate parents into silence.
The letters claimed the parents’ statements were “defamatory.” However, defamation law protects individuals from reputational harm caused by false statements. It is not a tool public institutions may use to shield itself from criticism.
The First Amendment protects speech that challenges those in power. But not only did The Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans threaten parents with baseless lawsuits, it also has a social media policy that gives administrators broad discretion to ban speech as “disrespectful” or “objectionable,” creating a system where criticism is punished and silence is enforced.
The result is a chilling effect on speech: parents are left wondering whether speaking honestly about their children’s school could get them drawn into frivolous litigation or banned from forums dedicated to school discussion.
Public schools cannot punish families for exercising their First Amendment rights. Doing so undermines trust, accountability, and the very freedoms schools are supposed to teach.
Tell The Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans and its superintendent to stop retaliating against parents and to respect the free speech rights of the families they serve.
