A group of high school cheerleaders in North Carolina were placed on probation after being photographed with a large banner that read “Trump 2020” at a football game, according to the New York Post.
The incident took place on August 30th at an “American Night”-themed game at North Stanly High School. In the photo, seven cheerleaders and two male students were pictured with the banner and wearing patriotic outfits, as part of the game’s theme.
On Monday, after the photo went viral, the entirety of the cheerleading team was “reprimanded” and placed on probation by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, although they never “defined the terms of the probation.”
NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker later clarified that the probation is not technically an official form of discipline, but rather, “a notice of behavior or action that is against NCHSAA Handbook Policy or contrary to expectations of sportsmanship and proper behavior.”
After a subsequent backlash against the school by parents, school district officials attempted to walk back the probation and claimed that they do “not prohibit students from speaking their minds or engaging in protected First Amendment activities.”