Wesley Teague, senior class president at Heights High School, stands next to his pickup. (Mike Hutmacher/The Wichita Eagle)

Wesley Teague, senior class president at Heights High School in Wichita, Kansas, has been suspended for the rest of the school year and banned from nearly all graduation activities. His crime? He dissed his school’s athletics, nicknamed “Heights U”, on twitter. Here is the tweet:

Wichita State University hasn’t had a football team since 1986, which makes his tweet kinda hilarious and creative.

Assistant Principal Monique Arndt offered a laughable justification for the severity of Wesley’s punishment in a letter she sent home to his parents.

“Wesley posted some very inappropriate tweets about the Heights athletic teams, aggressively disrespecting many athletes,” wrote Arndt. “After reading the tweets and taking statements from other students it was found that Wesley acted to incite the majority of our Heights athletes.”

I know what you’re thinking because I”m thinking it too: Are you fucking kidding me? Are these adults for real?!?!?!

Oh, but it gets worse. According to Arndt’s letter, Teague’s punishment is in line with school policy about cyber bullying and using electronic devices during the school day:

Arndt’s letter said Teague’s conduct violated the district’s policy on student behavior, which says:

“Each pupil is held responsible for his/her personal actions. The right to attend a Wichita Public School carries with it the obligation to maintain acceptable behavior.”

The policy prohibits the use of personal electronic devices, including cellphones, during the school day and prohibits “bullying in any form,” including cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is serious and has led kids to take their own lives. For these “educators” to compare a valid criticism to such a serious offense is truly insulting.

Susan Arensman, spokeswoman for the Wichita schools, made her district look even more inept in an e-mail to the Wichita Eagle, saying, “There was a negative reaction from many students, including threats of fights in the school.”

“It caused a major disruption to the school day. Other students were also suspended,”  wrote Arensman, adding, “If it causes a major disruption to the school day, or if a threat is made, there will be an investigation and students will face consequences.”

But Wesley did not threaten anyone. He didn’t even curse. He was expressing his opinion, which if we’re being completely honest, sounds more like a fact. But it wasn’t even the tweet he was suspended for. It was the controversy or “disruption” it caused. The school is basically arguing that inciting gossip warrants punishment.

What’s next? Suspending students for their expressing distaste of the cheerleading uniforms? Expelling kids for complaining on Facebook about cafeteria food? Arresting children for dissing the English curriculum? What kind of society punishes children for legitimate criticism, especially one as innocuous as “Our athletics are non-existent”? What kind of message is Wichita sending children about free speech, or lack thereof?

Keep in mind that Teague’s suspension is making headlines just a week after Kiera Wilmot’s expulsion and arrest due to her scientific curiosity. Is it any coincidence that both are students of color who, despite their stellar records, faced the harshest disciplinary measures imaginable?

Teague’s mother told the Eagle she plans on appealing his suspension. “I think it’s a bit overreacting. … I don’t really think there’s anything wrong with what Wesley did,” she said. “I guess I wonder whether the same thing would have happened if he said something (negative) about the vocal music department.”

Teague agrees that his suspension was unjustified. “It’s completely unfair, and I just think it’s a joke,” he told the Eagle.

“It’s a 100 percent truthful tweet and it wasn’t meant to offend a single person or group of people. … I only meant that ‘Heights U’ doesn’t exist because it doesn’t. We’re not a university.”

Teague was selected by faculty to give a commencement speech at graduation. After a meeting with his mother and the principal, the school decided to allow him to attend the ceremony but he will no longer be giving a speech.

Here is what Teague had to say about what this debacle has taught him: “I learned that words can hurt others and that there’s a time and a place for Twitter, and school’s not the time or place.”

I hope he’s just paying lip service so he can graduate with his friends. Otherwise, Heights High School just taught this young man that it’s best to keep your mouth shut to preserve the status quo.