A federal judge has ruled that the Grosse Pointe Public School System violated the First Amendment rights of a parent it banned from district facilities after he posted a video critical of a classroom LGBTQ+ flag and suggested the teachers were indoctrinating children.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert White, on July 24 issued a preliminary injunction requiring the district to lift its no-trespass order against parent Gary Pruitt.
The dispute dates back to early September 2024 when Pruitt attended his child’s back-to-school night at Parcells Middle School and saw LGBTQ+ flags in the school. He contacted the principal to ask what students were being taught. The principal referred him to the district’s interim superintendent, who suggested he contact the school board.
In an email to Pruitt in September 2024 and included as an exhibit in court documents, board member Valarie St. John said: “I can assure you that none of our teachers have been forced to hang rainbow flags in their classrooms. If any teacher is indoctrinating children into any sexual orientation, please report that to the principal, as that would be inappropriate. However, if you are simply concerned that your child is seeing the colors of the rainbow, I would suggest sending them with tinted sunglasses so they aren’t subjected to the full spectrum.
“Michigan law requires that we protect our LGBTQ+ students, so … nothing is likely to change. The board cannot overrule state law.”
Near the end of September 2024, Pruitt went back to the school to take video of the flag, which he posted to a Facebook group for district parents. In the video voiceover, he said the flag represented “radical programming being forced upon children by adults.”
He also posed a question: “Do you want to continue to let these groomer teachers push their distorted worldview upon your children … or would you like to stand with us in speaking out against it?”
Afterward, the district banned Pruitt from its school buildings and other district facilities, though according to his attorney, David Kalman, the district did allow him to attend “a couple of events” with advance notice.
The district also posted a photo of him at the middle school office, warning of the district’s no-trespass policy against him.
In March 2026, unable to persuade the district to lift its ban on him, Pruitt filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking an injunction against enforcing the ban and also financial damages for “emotional distress, humiliation, mortification, embarrassment, and damage to his good name and reputation,” among other claims.
A letter from the school district’s attorney that was filed as an exhibit with the lawsuit said staff and community members called the video intimidating and harassing and that the “groomer teachers” reference was defamatory.
In his opinion, White wrote “nothing in Pruitt’s video implicates any serious threat of or encouragement to violence or any unlawful activity.”
He added: “District officials could have listened to Pruitt’s concerns and then defended a teacher’s decision to display the flag. Surely, the teacher only aimed to create a welcoming environment for all her students. Instead, Pruitt’s concerns were dismissed.”
The school district has 30 days to file an appeal if it choses to do so; it’s attorney was not available to take a call from the Free Press on Monday, July 27.
District communications director Rebecca Fannon said: “Even before the temporary injunction, the district was working with Mr. Pruitt to allow access for him to his child’s school activities with advance notice. Our staff will comply with the injunction, but cannot comment further due to pending litigation.”
Still at issue, Kalman reminded: Pruitt’s defamation claims against the school district.
Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Judge lifts Grosse Pointe schools’ ban on parent over LGBTQ+ flag complaint
Reporting by Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
