"I brought this case to stand up for myself and other students who might be afraid to express their right-of-center views," Barnes said in a statement. "Everyone knows that if a student wears an anti-Trump shirt to school, the teachers won't think twice about it. But when I wore a pro-Trump shirt, I got suspended. That's not right." ||||| $25K and an apology: Hillsboro SD settles suit with teen Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Ore. (KOIN) [ + - ] 
 
 PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A former Liberty High School student settled a lawsuit with the Hillsboro School District for $25,000 on Tuesday, months after he said his First Amendment rights were violated when he was removed from class for wearing a t-shirt printed with the words “Donald J. Trump Border Wall Construction Co." 
 
 Addison Barnes, a senior at the time, filed a lawsuit against the school district on May 21. Along with the financial terms of the settlement, the school district also has to pay his attorney fees and send an apology letter written by school Principal Greg Timmons. 
 
 “Addison Barnes should be commended for his courage," said Brad Benbrook, one of Barnes' attorneys, in a statement. "The message on his shirt wasn’t the point of this case. We brought the case to police the thought police. The First Amendment does not allow what is going on in too many schools today.” Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Ore. (KOIN) 
 
 Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Ore. (KOIN) 
 
 KOIN 6 News has reached out to the Hillsboro School District for comment. A spokeswoman said they're reviewing the press release from Barnes' attorneys and are working on a response. 
 
 Originally, when Barnes was asked during his "People and Politics" class to cover up his shirt, he obliged and returned to class. Then, citing his First Amendment rights, he uncovered the t-shirt before he was given two options: cover up or go home. Barnes went home, which was treated as a suspension. 
 
 A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order just over a week after the lawsuit, allowing Barnes to wear the shirt at school for the rest of the school year. 
 
 In a statement on Tuesday, Barnes said he filed the lawsuit to "stand up for myself and other students who might be afraid to express their right-of-center views." 
 
 "Everyone knows that if a student wears an anti-Trump shirt to school, the teachers won’t think twice about it. But when I wore a pro-Trump shirt, I got suspended," he said. "That’s not right.” ||||| The principal of Liberty High School in Hillsboro has agreed to apologize to a student who was told to go home or cover up his "Donald J. Trump Border Wall Construction Co.'' shirt in January. 
 
 Addison Barnes, an 18-year-old senior, was suspended for wearing the shirt backing Trump's immigration and Homeland Security policies. He then sued the high school, the principal and the Hillsboro School District, arguing they violated his First Amendment rights. 
 
 In late May, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, essentially barring the school for the remainder of the school year from enforcing its earlier decision prohibiting Barnes from wearing the shirt. 
 
 On Tuesday, Barnes' lawyers announced they reached a settlement with the district: Principal Greg Timmons will issue a letter of apology and the district will pay $25,000 for Barnes' attorney fees. 
 
 "I brought this case to stand up for myself and other students who might be afraid to express their right-of-center views,'' Barnes said in a statement. "Everyone knows that if a student wears an anti-Trump shirt to school, the teachers won't think twice about it. But when I wore a pro-Trump shirt, I got suspended. That's not right.'' 
 
 Barnes' lawyers said the message on the shirt wasn't the point of the case. High school students have the right to express their political views, they said. 
 
 "We brought the case to police the thought police,'' attorney Brad Benbrook said. 
 
 School district officials said in a statement that courts have ruled differently in similar cases, leaving students' First Amendment rights in school a "gray area." They said they decided to settle the T-shirt case "given the cost and disruption of litigation." 
 
 The principal's letter was brief, apologized for Barnes' initial suspension and wished him well in the future, they said. 
 
 "As an educational institution," the statement said, "Hillsboro School District and each of our schools supports, encourages, and celebrates free speech and reasoned debate. We also have a responsibility to ensure that each of our students feels welcome and safe in our schools so they can effectively learn. This was an instance where we were challenged to do both simultaneously and the decision landed on the side of ensuring student safety. Moving forward, we will continue to use professional discretion to meet both objectives and will actively seek ways to turn sensitive situations into learning opportunities." 
 
 School officials had defended their actions in court, saying the shirt would contribute to a "hostile learning environment'' and would make students feel insecure in school, noting that about 33 percent of the high school's students are of Hispanic descent. They also said the school had been the site of recent student walkouts and sit-ins to protest Trump's immigration policies. 
 
 The district described increased racial tensions arising from racially charged language around immigration, school officials said. 
 
 But U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman found the school district couldn't justify its censorship. The judge said he balanced constitutionally protected speech with the orderly running of a school. 
 
 The school district is entitled to be concerned about the response of other students to the T-shirt, the judge said. But the "thin" court record offered little support for the district's argument that the shirt could "substantially disrupt'' the school, he said. 
 
 -- Maxine Bernstein 
 
 mbernstein@oregonian.com 
 
 503-221-8212 
 
 @maxoregonian
– An 18-year-old Oregon student who was forced out of class for refusing to cover up his pro-Trump T-shirt won't end up getting the last word in the matter—which is the outcome he wanted. The last word will go to the principal of Liberty High School in Hillsboro, who agreed to issue a letter of apology as part of a settlement in the case. Addison Barnes sued the school, Principal Greg Timmons, and the Hillsboro School District, accusing them of violating his First Amendment rights. KOIN reports that Barnes initially covered up the "Donald J. Trump Border Wall Construction Co.'' he wore to school in January, but then decided to reverse course. He was then told to cover it again or go home, and he chose the latter option, which the school recorded as a suspension. The Oregonian reports a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order two months ago that prevented the school from banning the shirt for the remainder of the school year, with the judge saying the censorship wasn't legally justified. The school had argued the shirt could fuel a "hostile learning environment." The settlement, announced Tuesday, will also see the district pay $25,000 to cover Barnes' legal fees. Willamette Week has a statement from Barnes, who has since graduated from the school: "Everyone knows that if a student wears an anti-Trump shirt to school, the teachers won't think twice about it. But when I wore a pro-Trump shirt, I got suspended. That's not right."