Two Selma High School students who allege they were wrongfully kicked off the Selma High School cheerleading squad spoke publicly for the first time in a press conference held Wednesday on the campus of Selma High School.

The students, along with their parents and local attorney George Jones III, met with reporters to announce a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the school.

Jones has asked for an injunction in circuit court to restore the students to the squad before the first football game in August. Among the claims filed in the suit, the students allege they suffered extreme emotional distress by the actions of the school’s principal. They also claim their name and good character was slandered when an unknown person telephoned the Selma Police Department and reported false statements — saying the students had committed a criminal offense “involving infamy and moral turpitude” and requested police officers be dispatched to the school.

Neither student was arrested on the alleged date of the incident, according to Jones. Dr. James Carter, superintendent for the city school system, is on vacation this week and unable to comment on the suit. However, school officials have said that the students were never officially named members of the cheerleading squad and think the lawsuit is frivolous.

The girls said that despite the lawsuit and scrutiny of their peers, they plan to attend Selma High School this fall.

One of the girls, who will be in the 11th grade, said she was very excited when the new cheerleader sponsor called and asked her to join the squad.

“I was just going to practice participating in the exercises, when our sponsor told us that her supervisor told her she had to let us go. We never did anything wrong. I’m a straight-A student,” the 11th grader said.

The student said that after being ejected from the squad, she felt embarrassed and had panic attacks. “It’s very painful to have been on the squad and then removed like that,” she said.

The other student, an upcoming 9th grader, said the new sponsor was mad about their removal from the squad, but said she had to follow her supervisor’s rules.

Mr. Welch, however, said there was a miscommunication between he and the sponsor because he told the sponsor that only a certain amount of girls could be on the cheerleading squad.

“It’s really hard when you have kids talking about you behind your back. I felt angry, mad and embarrassed. We had been going to practice every day and they just told us we had to go,” the 9th grader said.

The mother of the 9th grader said she’s supporting her daughter through this ordeal.

“These are excellent students. They are really good kids. I felt the need to take a stand for our kids. It’s not just for our kids, it’s for those who may come after them,” said Mrs. Willoughby.