School Agrees to Pay Student $10,000 After She Was Suspended for Coming Out as Gay

https://people.com/school-pay-student-who-suspended-for-coming-out-gay-online-12005324

A settlement was reached between Morgan Armstrong and Tennessee Christian Preparatory School

By

David Chiu

Published on June 23, 2026 06:13PM EDT

Morgan Armstrong.Credit : Image provided by Horwitz Law

• Morgan Armstrong, then 18, filed a lawsuit last year against Tennessee Christian Preparatory School after being suspended over a social media post in which she came out as gay
• On June 22 of this year, a final judgment order was entered into court stating that a settlement was reached between both parties
• They agreed that Armstrong’s suspension has been rescinded, and that the school will pay her $10,000

Over a year after a student sued a private Tennessee high school for suspending and prohibiting her from attending graduation after she came out as gay on social media, the school will now pay her $10,000 as part of a resolution to the case.

A final judgment order was entered into the Chancery Court for Bradley County, Tenn., on Monday, June 22, stating that a settlement was reached between Morgan Armstrong and Tennessee Christian Preparatory School.

Armstrong, then an 18-year-old graduating senior at the school, made the social media post on April 23, writing, “cats outta the bag,” according to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE and filed on May 19, 2025.

A screenshot of the post, which was included in the complaint, showed Armstrong and her girlfriend kissing and holding hands.

Armstrong defended the post in a May 29, 2025, interview with The Washington Post. “Everyone else gets to post their boyfriend or girlfriend. So just because I have a girlfriend and I’m a girl, why does that mean that I shouldn’t be able to?” she asked. “I love my girlfriend and I wanted to show it.”

Days after making the post, Armstrong was summoned to the administrator’s office and given a suspension letter, according to the complaint.

The suspension letter, which was included in the complaint, stated that Armstrong would not be allowed on campus or at any school events, including but not limited to graduation, which took place on May 10, 2025.

Although the school said that her diploma would be mailed to her on June 15, 2025, the complaint alleged that the school “explicitly threatened to sabotage Morgan’s college admissions process and to withhold Morgan’s diploma” if there was any “online slander” about the school or anybody associated with it.

Additionally, the school alleged in the letter that Morgan’s social media posting included “a disparaging remark reflecting the people at Tennessee Christian,” a claim that Armstrong disputes.

The complaint claimed that her suspension letter mentioned a private message that the senior sent to some of her friends that read: “go like and comment on my post guys bc if no one on my socials knew I was gay then they sure as hell do now so this is a big thing tbh, also I’m kinda scared about the facebook comments bc i have some ruthless trump supporting ‘jesus’ mfs on there.”

However, according to the complaint, that message did not refer to the school, but instead referred to some of Armstrong’s relatives — people who, according to Armstrong, “profess but do not practice Christian principles of love, acceptance, and compassion.”

The complaint alleged that the real reason why the school suspended her “was the fact that she had come out as gay” — and that even if she had violated the school’s social media policy, it would have been a first-time offense, and the maximum policy should have been a one-day in-school suspension.

Armstrong and her parents, who were named co-plaintiffs in the suit, sought to expunge Armstrong’s suspension record and disciplinary violation, allow her to take her final exams, forbid the school from withholding her diploma and prohibit the school from “sabotaging” Armstrong’s college admissions process.

In Monday’s final judgment order — which PEOPLE reviewed —  both parties agreed that Armstrong’s suspension has been rescinded, even though they disagreed on the extent of her violation of Tennessee Christian Preparatory School’s policies. 

The order also stated that the school had not spoken with other colleges or universities for the purpose of disparaging Armstrong, and agreed to be prohibited from making such remarks to the institutions. 

The school will have to pay a $10,000 money judgment to Armstrong, the order read, and the lawsuit is now over.

In a statement shared with ABC affiliate WTVC, Tennessee Christian Preparatory School said: “Tennessee Christian and the Armstrong family disagree regarding the extent to which Morgan Armstrong violated school policies. Both parties acknowledge that this disagreement remains unresolved and have mutually agreed to move forward. No further comments will be made regarding this matter.”

Daniel Horwitz, an attorney for Armstrong and her family, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE, “School is a place where every student is entitled to feel welcome, accepted, and supported.”

Horwitz continued, “It is not a place where any administrator should feel comfortable disciplining or threatening kids for being gay.  We were proud to represent Morgan and her family in this righteous lawsuit, and we are thrilled to have prevailed on their behalf. We hope Morgan’s bravery will inspire others to stand up for themselves the way that she did.”

Tennessee Christian Preparatory School did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Tuesday, June 23.