Florida Carry Inc. has initiated legal proceedings against the Hillsborough County School District following the suspension of a high school student, referred to in the lawsuit as “J.S.” The suspension occurred after officials discovered three spent shell casings in the student’s possession.
The incident came to light through a report on FortifyFL, an app designed for reporting suspicious activities to law enforcement and school officials. A Hillsborough County deputy sheriff, informed by the school principal about the report, searched J.S.’s backpack and conducted a patdown on November 21 at around 8 a.m.
“The search revealed three expended metallic casing contained in a Ziploc bag, along with some spare change. The casings had been used while target shooting with J.S.’s parents on a recent excursion,” stated the lawsuit. It further clarified that “the expended casings did not contain any powder, projectiles, shot, bullets, wading, or live primers.”
The deputy sheriff concluded that J.S. had committed no crime by possessing spent shell casings and communicated this to school officials. Despite this, the principal decided to suspend J.S., informing his parents later that day of a five-day suspension.
Superintendent Van Ayres of Hillsborough County Public Schools was notified of the situation. He is listed as a defendant in Florida Carry’s lawsuit.
According to Florida law, possessing spent shell casings on school property is not prohibited. However, Hillsborough County Public Schools have policies against ammunition and related items on their premises.
Florida Carry’s lawsuit claims that these policies contradict state law: “Florida Carry’s purpose is to advance the fundamental civil right of all Floridians to keep and bear arms for self-defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Florida’s Declaration of Rights.”
The organization seeks court recognition that state laws were violated and demands policy changes from the school district. Additionally, they request that J.S.’s suspension be annulled without record and that he be allowed to complete missed academic work due to his suspension.
Eric J. Friday authored and filed the lawsuit as Florida Carry’s general counsel.
