“I think it’s a double standard,” said the mother of Zach Hornstein, who she believes was unfairly treated for his political beliefs.
When Turning Point USA Founder and conservative thought leader Charlie Kirk was shot and killed last week, his death reverberated with people from all walks of life—and all corners of the globe. That includes Laguna Beach High School student Zach Hornstein, who chose to wear a “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat as a tribute to Kirk the day after his shooting.
According to Hornstein, a female classmate removed his hat from his head and threw it into a trash bin, then made profane and derogatory remarks about President Donald Trump. Zach responded with a remark he said was a joke: “If you don’t like it here, Canada has open borders. Feel free to go.” The school, however, alleges that this equates to telling the other student to go back where she came from.
Hornstein denies this. And, importantly, so does the other student.
“When they called in the girl who was involved, she literally told them that I never said that,” said Hornstein.
Despite this, Hornstein was suspended.
Zach’s mother, Janet Semenova, believes her son was singled out for his political expression. She argues that Zach was the target rather than the instigator and says the school is applying a double standard depending on a student’s political views.
“I don’t think either of these students should have been suspended, and we said that in our meeting,” Semenova said. “We said, ‘you’re punishing these students and you’re creating an environment of deeper hostility instead of creating an environment of deeper dialogue.'”
The Laguna Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) issued the following hollow statement: “When disputes arise on campus, schools must evaluate the behavior involved. California law defines the grounds for suspension, and we are reviewing the facts in this situation through that process to ensure it is handled fairly and consistently.”
Note that the language used is deliberately vague, noncommittal, and cloaked in procedural protections. They are, of course, responding in this fashion to protect themselves from having to weigh in on the matter one way or the other. But, if the facts reported by Hornstein and his family are accurate, the student should not have been suspended in the first place—and that is something LBUSD can and should consider.
Firstly, the school’s dress code does not prohibit students from wearing articles of clothing with political expressions. Secondly, both parties agree that Hornstein did not say what the school alleges he meant. In both instances, Hornstein did not cross a line.
The school could have exercised an abundance of caution by issuing a warning to both students rather than immediately punishing Hornstein—who was, after all, the original victim when his hat was taken and thrown. Instead, school officials rushed a hasty punishment, and only afterwards will LBUSD review the facts of the case. That is hardly fair treatment for a student who did not break any rules.
If it’s any consolation for the family, they are receiving a great deal of support on social media.
“If anything the girl should be suspended for physically touching him… Absolutely ridiculous. They want kids to ‘express themselves’ unless it doesn’t match with their agenda,” one user says on Twitter/X.
“Unbelieveable,” another user responds.
At the time of writing, the family is still weighing whether or not to bring the issue forward to LBUSD. Regardless of their decision, it is undoubtedly disappointing to many that LBUSD chose to take such a passive role instead of advocating for its students.
“I think kids who have certain political beliefs are held to a different standard than kids who have other political beliefs,” said Semenova.
