Fair Lawn Student: 'I Was Reprimanded Over Anti-Israel Tweets'

Editor’s note: Since this story was first published Thursday afternoon, Bethany Koval’s Twitter account has been made private. Tweets that were previously embedded may not appear in the story. We apologize for the inconvenience.

A Fair Lawn High School student supporting Palestine claims school administrators reprimanded her and accused her of bullying after seeing comments she made on social media.

Bethany Koval, 16, said she was reprimanded by school officials for a tweet about Israel that prompted a fellow classmate to unfollow her. The tweet has since been taken down.

However, administrators later questioned the online comment and called her to the office, where Koval recorded the conversations.

“Principal just called me down. I’m about to be exposed for being anti-Israel,” Koval tweeted. “Pray for me.”

District administrator Bruce Watson said in a statement Thursday that “at no time have District officials sought to censor or reprimand any pupils for their online speech.”

“The Fair Lawn School District recognizes and respects individuals’ First Amendment rights to free speech,” Watson said.

But Koval claims she may face legal action.

Threatened to file a bullying case against me. It’s against state law to express unpopular political views on the Internet, now.

— benny (@bendykoval) January 6, 2016

Watson said in the statement that the school received a complaint ”alleging potential harassment, intimidation, or bullying by one student against another.”

Koval posted three audio clips of a meeting she had with an administrator, who can be heard saying the state will determine if she had committed an act of bullying for the tweet.

In one recording, she tells the administrator that she believes the tweets about Israel were “controversial” but not “problematic.”

An investigation has been launched, Watson said, and will not focus on “any political opinions expressed by any pupils.”

“All parties involved are given a full and fair opportunity to share their side of the story,” Watson said. “Upon completion of the investigation,” Watson will “make a determination and report confidentially to the Board of Education” in accordance with state law.

In the meantime, some Twitter users are supporting Koval with the hashtag #IStandWithBenny.