Three Virginia high school students seeking $10M in lawsuit over principal’s accusation of ‘racist harassment’
The students claim they were falsely accused of racism over a birthday card and gift they gave a fellow student
Three Virginia high school students are suing their principal, alleging defamation for being called racist over a birthday card and gift they gave a fellow student they insist is a friend.
Three students at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach say Ryan Schubart, the school’s principal, “published materially false and defamatory statements in an email addressed to the entire student body on or about March 13, 2025,” according to reporting from WAVY.
The students are seeking $10 million in damages.
According to court documents obtained by the outlet, the principal claimed the students engaged in “racist harassment” and “will be disciplined to the fullest extent possible.”
The plaintiffs were reportedly part of a “close friend group,” which included a student who was allegedly a victim of racial harassment.
Tim Anderson, an attorney representing the students, said: “They shouldn’t have been brought out to the town square and castigated in front of the entire community, with adults weighing in, calling them racist. You don’t do that to children. It ruins their lives.”
He added that what Schubart wrote in the email was not an accurate reflection of what occurred.
Per court records, on March 12, the birthday of the alleged victim, the plaintiffs “presented the gift recipient with a gift intended as a joke consisting of handwritten notes on a birthday card, a bag of fried chicken, and various candy, which was received in the same spirit as a friendly gift by the recipient.”
The entire encounter lasted between two to three minutes, court records state. Security footage of the incident showed “The plaintiffs, the gift recipient and other students laughing, hugging and engaging in friendly behavior.”
In his email, the principal wrote that a staff member intervened after witnessing the exchange, which Anderson disputes.
“The principal said that a teacher had to break up the incident that didn’t happen,” he told the TV station. “We have video evidence [that this] absolutely did not happen.”
“All of these boys were close friends. The Black child, [it] was his birthday,” Anderson said. “The boys were bringing him a gift for his birthday, a gift that he asked for. The child said that the card that was given to him was funny.”
He continued: “[The] principal had all that information, but he omitted it, and he spun it up as this is an incident of racial harassment, racial bullying.”
The attorney claims the plaintiffs “have been threatened and property damage has occurred.” The boys have also been removed from the school.
The Independent has emailed Kellam High School for comment.
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