School Reimburses Suspended Teacher’s Pay After Playing LGBT Equality Song

When Susan Johnson played “Same Love” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for her performing arts class, she believed she was helping students improve their tolerance of diversity. The song discusses marriage equality and mistreatment of people who are gay. But after a student complained about the song, South Lyon’s Centennial Middle School suspended her for three days, including two without pay, claiming she violated a policy requiring administrative review of all video clips before they’re played in a class. Now, she has been reinstated and her pay was restored. Superintendent William Pearson explained the decision...What remains a mystery is to what extent the content of the song played into the school’s overreaction. The ACLU is continuing its investigation “to make sure they’re not trying to censure a message of tolerance for gay people.”