Crook trial postponed to December

A preliminary injunction hearing for Melisa Crook has been postponed from Friday, Oct. 31, to Thursday, Dec. 11, due to a conflict with the school’s counsel.

In a motion submitted Thursday, attorney Janice M. Thomas requested the court to continue the hearing because of a jury trial scheduled to begin Monday, Oct. 27.

“The trial is currently scheduled for a week, and it is anticipated, due to the number of witnesses, that it may proceed into the following week,” the motion states.

Thomas is the counsel for the defendants -— the Creston Community School District, Creston School Board, Superintendent Deron Stender and Board President Don Gee.

The defense also says they have witnesses not available Friday due to it being fall break.

The motion states that counsel from both sides and the court’s judicial assistant partnered to find Dec. 11 as a date that works for all parties and the court calendar.

This hearing is to decide if the courts would block the school district’s attempt to terminate Crook based on a social media comment made about right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s death.

Crook’s team is seeking to have the termination blocked due to First Amendment violation. The defendants will need to prove the comment caused significant disruption.