Tweet gets Shawnee Mission East student in trouble

FAIRWAY, Kan. - Eighteen-year-old Emma Sullivan never thought her tweet about a field trip would be seen by Gov. Sam Brownback.  The Shawnee Mission East High School senior went to the Capitol and heard Brownback speak.  She didn’t like what she heard.

“I don't agree with a majority of the things that he is trying to pass,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan tweeted her thoughts about what she wanted to do during the speech.

Sullivan’s tweet stated: "just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot.”

Sullivan said she ended up in the principal’s office the next day.

“He explained to me that someone from Brownback’s office got a hold of it and sent it to someone in charge of the district,” said Sullivan.

She said her principal wants her to write an apology to Brownback.

“I believe that it is my right to state my opinion,” said Sullivan.

VML creative group members are surprised how administrators are handling this case.

“She is a legal adult. She has the right to be able to share her opinion,” said Gard Gibson.

Her Twitter handle, emmakate988 , had just 60 followers when she sent the tweet, but by Friday afternoon, she had more than 1,400.

Sullivan hasn’t decided if she will apologize to the governor.

The school’s principal said, “This is not about political views since none were given in the tweet - is about being respectful with a public official whether we agree or disagree with their viewpoints.”

The staff at Brownback’s office did not respond to our requests for interviews.