A recent graduate of Pembroke Pines Charter High in Florida is taking legal action against her former school’s principal for allegedly violating her First Amendment rights. The student was suspended for posting negative comments on the Internet about a teacher, after school, on her own computer.

“The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court, on behalf of Katherine Evans, 18, of Pembroke Pines.

The drama began in November 2007 when Evans, a senior at the school, created a Facebook page that criticized her Advanced Placement English teacher, Sarah Phelps, as “he worst teacher I’ve ever met.”

Evans, who also posted a yearbook photo of Phelps, sought comments from other students to express their ”feelings of hatred” toward the teacher.”

Now although it might not be in good taste, the girl did it on her own time and her own computer, and never made direct contact with the teacher, so how would this lead to a suspension?

“But when Peter Bayer, the school’s principal, learned of the posting, he suspended Evans for “bullying and cyber bullying harassment towards a staff member.”

Evans had to stay out of school for three days, she was removed from her AP classes and forced into ”lesser-weighted honors classes,” according to the lawsuit.

The ACLU claims that Evans First Amendment rights — “the free and unfettered exchange of ideas and opinions in the public arena — were violated.”

Since then, Evans has graduated and moved on to college, but she still wants the suspension removed from her academic record.

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