Kansas student off the hook for tweet

SHAWNEE MISSION, Kan., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Administrators at a school district in Kansas said Monday they won't try to extract an apology from a high school student who badmouthed the governor.

The Shawnee Mission School District issued a statement saying Shawnee Mission East High School senior Emma Sullivan won't be required to write an apology to Gov. Sam Brownback, The Kansas City Star reported.

Sullivan said the school's principal, Karl Krawitz, had told her to apologize for the comment she made about Brownback in a Twitter post during a student government conference in Topeka last week. Krawitz intervened after someone from Brownback's staff alerted him to the tweet.

But when word got out that Sullivan had been called on the carpet, there was major public blowback on both sides of the freedom-of-speech issue in play, the newspaper said.

"The district acknowledges a student's right to freedom of speech and expression is constitutionally protected," the district's statement said.

"The district has not censored Miss Sullivan nor infringed upon her freedom of speech. She is not required to write a letter of apology to the governor. Whether and to whom any apologies are issued will be left to the individuals involved."

So far, the only apology has come from Brownback, who had his office issue a statement saying the staff had "overreacted."

"Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms," the governor's statement said. "I also want to thank the thousands of Kansas educators who remind us daily of our liberties, as well as the values of civility and decorum. Again, I apologize for our overreaction."

Sullivan told the newspaper Sunday night she didn't intend to apologize.

What exactly set off the furor?

"Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot," she tweeted, though the newspaper said she didn't actually meet Brownback.