TOPEKA (FoxKansas.com) -- A high school senior from the Kansas City area landed in hot water after she posted a mocking tweet about Gov. Sam Brownback, a social media missive that caught the attention of the governor's staff.
Emma Sullivan, a senior at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas, was ordered by her school's principal to write several letters of apology for her Twitter taunt.
In an interview with The Wichita Eagle, Sullivan, 18, expressed surprise and dismay about the controversy.
"I'm mainly shocked that they would even see that tweet and be concerned about me" Sullivan told the newspaper. "I just honestly feel they're making a lot bigger deal out of it than it actually was."
Sullivan was in the state's Capitol on Monday attending a session hosted by Kansas Youth in Government, which aims to stimulate and nurture students who have shown an interest in politics and government. Gov. Brownback met with the students and delivered a speech.
During his speech, Sullivan posted this tweet on her personal Twitter account: "Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot"
The next day, Sullivan was summoned to her principal's office, where the teen's actions were discussed.
Sherriene Jones-Sontag, a spokeswoman for the governor, said his administration regularly monitors social media sites that reference the governor and his administration.
"We monitor social media so we can see what Kansans are thinking and saying about the governor and his policies," the spokeswoman told The Wichita Eagle. Administration officials e-mailed Sullivan's Twitter text to Youth in Government representatives.
The incident has received quite a bit of exposure through the news media and through social media sites, some of which praised the student for her tweet.
FoxKansas.com Staff Writer Alfred Charles contributed to this story. He can be reached at acharles@nptvgroup.com.
