A row has erupted at Jackson-Reed High School in D.C., with the school's Arab Student Union, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C., hitting the federal court with allegations of free speech suppression. The students are accusing the high school of clampdowns on their efforts to spread awareness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, culminating in a lawsuit that states the school engaged in censorship of pro-Palestinian programming, reported by NBC Washington.

In December, wishing to educate their peers on the conflict, the students proposed screening "The Occupation of the American Mind," a documentary critical of Israel's policies. However, Principal Sah Brown stood against the showing, flagging the potential for "strong emotional responses or polarizing views within our diverse school community," painfully felt by the students who say the film's controversy underlines the need for dialogue. Arthur Spitzer, senior counsel at the ACLU-DC, emphasized the value of the disputed conversations, saying "The fact that the plight of the Palestinian people is considered controversial means it needs more discussion, not less," according to a member of the Arab Student Union in a statement obtained by WUSA9.

The lawsuit, as The Washington Post reported, claims discriminatory treatment, citing procedural hurdles and censored materials that were specifically imposed on the Arab Student Union. Comparatively, the ACLU alleges that such requirements were not demanded of other student groups. As a result, the ACLU is seeking a permanent injunction that orders the school to treat the Arab Student Union the same as other student clubs.

As tensions simmer, the school's Palestinian Culture Night, initially scrapped from the calendar, was ultimately allowed after facing a "review and approval process unlike any its faculty sponsor has experienced in the past or that sponsors of other clubs have ever had to go through," noted the lawsuit. WUSA9 noted the spokesperson for D.C. Public Schools declined to comment on the open litigation, but the ACLU's assertion is clear: "The First Amendment would mean nothing in schools if administrators could shut down speech simply because it offends people in the community," Spitzer told reporters. This clash over speech rights coalesces amidst wider unrest, with student protests at colleges countrywide against the conflict in Gaza following a deadly Hamas-led attack last year, as WUSA9 included.