Gary Shane Pruitt, a Wayne County, Michigan, parent, filed a federal lawsuit on March 23, 2026, against the Grosse Pointe Public School System and several officials, alleging the district retaliated against him for criticizing Pride-related flags displayed at Parcells Middle School by issuing a no-trespass order and posting his photo at the school.
Gary Shane Pruitt, a Michigan parent with a child enrolled in the Grosse Pointe Public School System, has sued the district and several current or former administrators in federal court, alleging school officials violated his constitutional rights after he criticized the display of rainbow and transgender-related flags at Parcells Middle School.
In a verified complaint filed March 23, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Pruitt names the Grosse Pointe Public School System, its board of education, Parcells Middle School principal Jason Wesley, interim superintendent Roy Bishop Jr., and superintendent Andrea Tuttle as defendants. The lawsuit seeks both monetary damages and injunctive relief, including an order rescinding a no-trespass directive that bars him from school property.
According to the complaint, the conflict began in September 2024 after Pruitt attended a back-to-school event at Parcells and objected to what the filing describes as numerous Pride-related flags displayed in classrooms. The complaint includes a quote it attributes to school board member Valerie St. John, who allegedly wrote that if a parent is concerned about a child seeing “the colors of the rainbow,” the parent should consider “tinted sunglasses so they aren’t subjected to the full spectrum.”
The filing says Pruitt later returned to the school after hours and recorded video of the displays, asserting he had permission to do so. It alleges he posted the footage to a parent Facebook group with critical commentary.
The lawsuit also cites an Oct. 15, 2024, email to parents from a district staff member that described the circulating video as having “no threatening content” and being “political in nature, as expressed by a parent.”
Pruitt alleges the district then escalated security measures, including increased police presence at the school, and issued a no-trespass order dated Oct. 21, 2024. The complaint further alleges school officials posted his photograph in the middle school office with a written notice stating he was a trespasser and not allowed on school property—actions the suit claims were intended to stigmatize him.
The complaint asserts causes of action including First Amendment retaliation and defamation under Michigan law, and it alleges violations of the Michigan Constitution. It also claims Pruitt’s child was “stigmatized, ridiculed, and harassed” by others at school after the photo and notice were posted.
The filing says Pruitt attempted to have the order lifted without litigation, including a letter dated Jan. 16, 2026, but alleges the district did not rescind the restriction. Pruitt is asking the court to permanently bar enforcement of the no-trespass order, require removal of his photo and related statements from school property, and award damages and attorneys’ fees.
