GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed some of the claims in a lawsuit brought by a Medford school bus driver fired for refusing to take a Confederate battle flag off his pickup truck while parked on school property.
But Ken Webber’s central claim that he should get his job back because the firing violated his First Amendment right to free speech is going forward in U.S. District Court in Medford.
Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke ruled Tuesday that Webber has not shown the Phoenix-Talent School District or the First Student Inc. bus company discriminated against him in violation of his 14th Amendment equal protection rights.
The school district and the bus company did not seek dismissal of the First Amendment claim. No hearing has been set for that yet.
