AHS INCIDENT: Defendants to face trial in July

Published 6:30 pm Friday, June 7, 2019

An Athens police officer directs traffic April 10, 2019, during a soft lockdown at Athens High School following an altercation between police, students and parents.

An Athens woman and two former Athens High School students arrested after a fracas at Athens High School on April 10 will face a judge in July.

A court administrator confirmed 39-year-old Amanda Loggins, 18-year-old Gabrielle Kirby and 18-year-old Makaleb Boykin will appear in Athens Municipal Court at 9 a.m. July 18 for a bench trial before Municipal Judge Don Mansell.

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All three were charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, which are both misdemeanors. A juvenile was also arrested on the same charges.

The defendants will be represented by Birmingham attorney Richard Rice, who could not be reached for comment Friday. Kirby and Boykin are also being represented by attorneys with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is working to correct their student records after they were indefinitely suspended on April 9 following a classroom incident.

The next day, parents of the disciplined students came to speak to school officials about what transpired the day before. School officials say Loggins, who is Kirby’s mother, had been asked to leave the school. Officials said she returned in an attempt to incite violence. A brief scuffle between a police officer and students was recorded on cellphones and went viral.

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Because Kirby and Boykin were suspended, they were barred from participating in commencement exercises on May 23. The day before graduation, the SPLC filed a lawsuit against Athens City Schools over its unwillingness to relent and let the students participate. No hearing was held, however, and the Limestone County NAACP held a separate graduation ceremony for Kirby and Boykin.