Parents of a Louisville, Ky., high school student are suing Whitefield Academy after the Christian school allegedly expelled the teen for wearing a rainbow sweater and posing for a photo with a rainbow birthday cake.
The student’s mother, Kimberly Alford, claims her daughter, Kayla Kenney, was expelled from Whitefield Academy after the photo from her 15th birthday was posted on social media earlier this month.
According to NBC News, a lawsuit was filed on Thursday and alleges that the school expelled Kenney over her perceived sexual orientation.
“The school expelled K.K. because they believed that K.K. was gay. As such, in Whitefield’s view, it would be difficult to achieve the goal of [K.K.] becoming Christ-like,” the suit says.
The suit alleges that Whitefield Academy breached its contract with the teen’s parents, invaded K.K.’s privacy, defamed her and inflicted emotional distress.
Whitefield has not yet commented on the lawsuit, but responded to previous reports about Kenney’s expulsion, claiming the student broke its code of conduct in the past by having e-cigarettes and skipping class.
“In the fall, we met with the student … Unfortunately, she did not live up to the agreement,” according to a statement from Whitefield.
A letter to the teen’s family signed by Head of School Bruce Jacobson said that the photo “demonstrates a posture of morality and cultural acceptance contrary to that of Whitefield Academy’s beliefs.”
Kenney has since relocated schools, and Whitefield Academy documented her transcript as a voluntary withdrawal.