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Morgan Armstrong came out in a social media post. Then she was suspended and threatened by her school
The Tennessee Christian Preparatory School's handbook lists same-sex sexual relations along with bestiality and incest as sins of immorality.
A student-athlete who was banned from graduating with her classmates after she came out in a social media post is suing her high school, local NBC and ABC affiliates WSMV and WTVC report.
Morgan Armstrong was a senior at Tennessee Christian Preparatory School (TCPS), a private Christian school in Chattanooga. She played on the school’s basketball team and earned her diploma.
Then she came out.
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“Cats outta the bag,” Armstrong wrote in the post dated April 23, according to court documents obtained by WTVC. The post contained pictures of Armstrong with her girlfriend, including the pair kissing.
Armstrong subsequently posted a separate comment urging others to like and comment on the post.
“go like and comment on my post guys bc if no one on my socials knew I was gay then they sure as hell do now so this is a big thing tbh, also I’m kinda scared about the facebook comments bc I have some ruthless trump supporting “jesus” mfs on there,” Armstrong wrote in the comment.
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Following the post and comment, Armstrong and her family were summoned to the school and told that she was suspended and prevented from further school activities.
The school claimed the comment was “vulgar and disrespectful” and “produced the wrong perception of who Tennessee Christian is and what we represent, Christ.” The letter said the comment, not the post, “reflected on the institution, faculty, staff, alumni, and students in the most negative possible way.”
The letter also contained a threat that “records of posts and messages will be forwarded to colleges and universities as part of a comprehensive student file.”
“I was shocked and then I went to anger,” Monica Armstrong, Morgan’s mother, told WSMV.
In her lawsuit, Armstrong claims she was not talking about folks at school but “members of Morgan’s own family with whom she was connected on social media – people who, in Morgan’s view, profess but do not practice Christian principles of love, acceptance, and compassion.”
Armstrong is claiming the school violated its policies on suspensions, noting that she received a far harsher penalty for a first-time violation, as well as breach of contract.
The school’s 2024-2025 Parent-Student Handbook appears to apply a blanket agreement between the student and the school regarding social media activity.
Students at the school agree to a set of rules about their social media posts to “TCPS-sponsored sites or other websites or social media (including but not limited to Text messages, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.,).”
“Students who choose to post editorial content to websites or other forms of media (texts, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) must ensure that their submission does not reflect poorly upon the school nor violate behavioral guidelines as outlined in the school Parent and Student handbook,” the handbook states.
School administrators issued a statement denying the allegations in the lawsuit.
“Tennessee Christian Preparatory School firmly rejects the misleading allegations outlined in a recent lawsuit supposedly filed against the school. As of 11:00 AM on May 22, we have yet to be served with process for the alleged lawsuit. The administration and Board of Trustees express deep disappointment over the inaccuracies contained in the alleged filing by Daniel A. Horwitz with Horwitz Law in Nashville. Despite this supposed legal dispute, Tennessee Christian remains fully committed to delivering Morgan Armstrong’s diploma. Our goal continues to be the academic and personal success of each student, even in the face of conflict or disagreement. We wish Morgan Armstrong the very best as she continues her academics in college.”
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Armstrong is asking that her school records be cleared of the incident, that the school refrain from “sabotaging Morgon’s college admissions process,” and that she and her parents be awarded unspecified compensation for monetary losses.
She and her family staged a mini-protest outside the school on the graduation night.
“It was difficult having to stand across the street knowing that the people I’ve grown up with for the last four years were able to walk across the stage and I wasn’t allowed to,” Armstrong told WSMV.
The school follows a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible and Christianity. The handbook classifies same-sex sexual relations on the same level as sex with animals and incest.
“We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God,” the handbook states.
