Expelled Student Banned From Cheshire Academy Campus: Report

CHESHIRE, CT — In the ongoing dispute between a former student and Cheshire Academy, the school has threatened to pursue criminal charges against the teen if he returns to the campus, according to the Waterbury Republican-American.

The Republican-American reports Michael Mancini, 16, was suspended and placed on probation for hate speech and later expelled after he was accused of continuing hate speech while on probation. Mancini’s family is suing Cheshire Academy on claims that he was expelled for expressing his conservative political views.

Cheshire Academy was granted a protective order against the family last month, but the family is contesting the Superior Court judge’s decision, according to the Meriden Record-Journal. The family’s attorney has also filed an objection to the school’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, the Record-Journal reports.

The lawsuit claims Cheshire Academy expelled Michael Mancini after his father, Theodore Mancini, launched a website detailing the family’s dispute with the school, the New Haven Register previously reported. However, school officials said the student was expelled following a “fair process,” according to the Register.

In a letter to the Cheshire Academy community earlier this year, school officials said (via the New Haven Register), the student was “given a number of chances to adhere to our expectations and the rules and code of conduct of Cheshire Academy. Contrary to what you may have read, our decision was not based on an opposition to political dialogue. We will take steps to defend the good name and reputation of CA, and will continue to work with legal counsel through this unfortunate episode.”

The Record-Journal reports a hearing on the motion to reconsider the protective order against the family is scheduled for Aug. 26.

Read more at the Meriden Record-Journal here and the Waterbury Republican-American here.