Bow School District judgment ends wristband case

A federal judgment approved November 5 declares that Bow School District violated the First Amendment rights of four people who wore pink “XX” wristbands at a girls’ soccer game in 2024. The settlement ends more than two years of litigation and requires the district’s risk pool to pay $275,000 in legal fees and costs. The stipulated judgment protects the plaintiffs’ right to wear the wristbands silently along the sidelines, in spectator areas or in parking lots at any Bow School District sporting event. It specifically finds that the district violated their rights when it barred the wristbands at a September 17, 2024, girls’ varsity game. The plaintiffs are Kyle Fellers, Anthony Foote, Nicole Foote and Eldon Rash. The wristbands’ “XX” symbols refer to female chromosomes, and the plaintiffs wore them to protest a transgender athlete’s participation on the opposing team. School officials said they were responding to concerns about possible heckling and a duty to protect students from harassment. The plaintiffs testified that they did not intend to target or harass the player. The settlement directs Primex, the district’s risk pool, to pay $225,000 to the Institute for Free...