Kellogg School District settles civil suits

KELLOGG — The Kellogg School District has settled two different civil lawsuits out of court.  

The lawsuits, filed by former Kellogg High School student Travis Lohr and former district employee Dakota Mailloux, came about after the district suspended Lohr for statements he made during a school assembly.  

Lohr allegedly said, “Guys are guys and girls are girls. There is no in-between.” The district suspended him from school and barred him from the 2023 graduation ceremony.  

The following day, a protest was held by students and community members, which Mailloux attended. His employment contract was eventually terminated.  

Both Lohr and Mailloux filed their civil suits last summer, alleging that the school’s actions violated both Lohr and Mailloux’s constitutional rights to free speech.  

In the initial lawsuits, Lohr asked that the district admit that his First Amendment rights were violated, purge his student record of the violation, and pay him damages following a jury trial. Mailloux requested his position as a bus driver be reinstated, to recoup back pay and benefits and recover additional damages, according to court records.

Both Lohr and Mailloux were represented by attorney Katherine Hartley with the Pacific Justice Institute. 

According to the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program, $88,000 was awarded to Katherine Hartley of the Pacific Justice Institute on behalf of Mailloux in February, and $100,000 was awarded to Lohr on May 21. 

When contacted, officials with the Kellogg School District stated they couldn't discuss the settlement because they had signed a nondisclosure agreement.