Mississippi Superintendent to Make Court Statement About Graduation Charges

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi school superintendent who pressed charges against people for cheering at a high school graduation says he plans to make a statement in court Tuesday, but won't say if he'll drop the charges.

Senatobia school Superintendent Jay Foster reiterated in a telephone interview Friday that he's trying to ensure that some families don't ruin graduations for others by raising a ruckus.

He says he filed misdemeanor, disturbing-the-peace charges against three people because they disobeyed instructions to hold their cheers. Before doing so, he says he consulted with school board members, administrators and the district's lawyer.

The Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says that Foster is violating First Amendment rights and that those who cheered did nothing that could be considered a crime.