A federal jury in Waco awarded $7.5 million to five parents and students who sued Marlin Independent School District officials for retaliating against them after they publicly criticized the cancellation of a high school graduation ceremony.
The unanimous verdict in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas found in favor of Monica Johnson, Clifford Jones, Brandolyn Jones, Praiyer Jones, and Addai Jones in their case against the school district, former Superintendent Darryl Henson, and Chief of Police John Simmons. The jury awarded $4,008,199 in punitive damages against Henson and Simmons following a week-long trial that concluded on January 21, 2026.
Graduation Cancellation Sparked Public Outcry
The case centered on the district's May 2023 decision to cancel the Class of 2023 graduation ceremony just three days before it was scheduled to occur. On May 22, 2023, Henson claimed only five seniors were eligible to graduate and announced the May 25 ceremony would be postponed. However, testimony at trial confirmed nearly the entire senior class had been eligible to graduate on time.
When the Jones family and Johnson publicly criticized the decision, school officials began retaliating against them. Johnson created a petition calling for Henson's removal, which prompted further retaliation from district officials, according to kwtx.
The retaliatory actions included removing Johnson from a public meeting without cause and issuing a criminal trespass warning barring her from all Marlin ISD property for one year. Officials also lowered Praiyer's and Addai's grades after the school year had ended and refused to allow Johnson's daughter, Class of 2023 valedictorian Me'Kia Mouling, to deliver her valedictorian speech at the postponed graduation.
School officials changed Me'Kia's class rank and repeatedly taunted Johnson about it during a public meeting, the Texas Score Card reported. Both Johnson and Brandolyn Jones received "cease and desist" letters threatening litigation if they continued speaking publicly about their experiences with Henson and Marlin ISD.
Federal Court Finds Constitutional Violations
The plaintiffs brought their claims under the federal civil rights statute 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, which allows individuals to sue government officials who violate constitutional rights. Their claims centered on violations of the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
"This verdict sends a clear message that public officials cannot use their authority to silence parents or punish students for speaking out," said Janelle Davis, lead attorney for Pacific Justice Institute, as per kxxv.
