Free Speech Forum
In our free speech forum for humanities we had to research a piece of free speech to write a 800-1000 word paper on in addition to creating a visual piece. We had several prompts to write off of to spark our creativity, but they were not required. For example: How is free speech important to democracy and how does your piece show that? We then had to come up with our own prompts and tie our article of free speech to the prompts. We then had to create a visual that reflects our paper.
“I (heart) boobies!” & Student rights
Chase Pierson
When allegations that 1st amendment rights were being violated in a Pennsylvania school district the question rose once again: What are students’ rights in schools? The allegations were made over bracelets that were made by a non-profit breast cancer awareness foundation, which bared the words “I (heart) boobies!” These allegations were made after two students had their bracelets taken away after a ban on the bracelets was put in place for the bracelets ‘sexual innuendo’. The case was taken to court and after some debate the Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the slogan on the bracelets is protected under the First Amendment. The Easton school district then appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the federal appeals court misapplied previous court cases to make the decision. On Monday, March 10th, the US Supreme Court announced that it would not hear the case. The students rights were not taken seriously and it makes me beg the question: If our nation is led by the people then why should those freedoms not trickle down into our school systems as well?
Our country, a democratic nation, survives because of our freedom of speech. Democracy is; control of an organization or group by the majority of its members. This applies to students as well; free speech in schools has been heavily debated since the 60s and still remains a highly debated topic in schools around the US. Since the 1919 Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States, people have been challenging their rights and promoting free speech. It is critically important that people, especially students, continue to challenge and push their rights, because if there was no opposition we would not have a strong democratic system.
Students have freedom of speech in schools however; our speech is viewed as limited by the general public. The first amendment states that students do maintain their freedom of speech in public school, and while these freedoms have always been made available to students the knowledge of their availability has been limited. The national realization of student rights came in the 60’s with the ‘Tinker v. Des Moines case. Two students had worn banned arm bands in protest of the Vietnam War to school. As a consequence the principle suspended the students as the predominate view at the time was that students did not maintain their rights in schools. The case was brought to the Supreme Court where the verdict, that is still used today, stated that students do not leave their rights at the schoolhouse gate.
Students have long been able to express themselves in school. Dyed hair, graphic tees, rings etc. But we do not have an issue with any of those cases, so how has the verdict of the banning of the “I (heart) boobies!” bracelets made society think differently about free speech in school? Since the court case was concluded and the nation learned of the verdict, several publications have been made stating what this case has done. “This is a powerful political statement by students with no sexual overtones,” says Mark Naison, a professor at Fordham University. “It should be protected by the courts. School districts that seek to suppress them are limiting freedom of speech and student self-expression, attributes we should treasure more than ever at a time when our schools are deluged with tests.” This was just one of many articles that expressed delight in the verdict of the “I (heart) boobies case!”
So what? Why is free speech in schools important? For some time now there have been arguments made on why free-speech is important in schools. They typically contain some bias and rule out important facts. I have selected two of these arguments. The first argument is that we are practicing to be adults in a democracy. This is a good argument because it gives a strong understanding on why free-speech is important. If we are going to grow up in a democracy we should be as prepared as we can be so we start off young. The second argument is that as of right now students are functioning as members of society in school. This is my favorite argument because it makes me feel more aware of my rights as of right now, not when I graduate. This argument falls directly in correlation with the Tinker v. Des Moines ruling that "students do not leave their rights at the schoolhouse gate." Free speech in a democracy is vital but it is even more vital that we give our students, the future of this country, a voice.
We know students have a voice, but in what ways can we improve our students’ rights in schools? In the United States we pride ourselves on the constitution. Freedom of speech, assemble, the right to bear arms etc. But when it comes to student rights especially free speech, the line gets blurry. We as a nation tend to look at students not as individuals but instead as a whole, this is impersonal. If we want to improve student rights we need to take a step out of our comfort zone and accept the fact that students have the same fundamental rights as adults. Several organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) focus on student rights and preparing students for a democratic society. With positive student environments and outstanding students that fight for their rights.[“I (heart) boobies!”] Student rights will improve.
As time progresses on we are going to see more and more student rights cases similar to the “I (heart) boobies!” case. These cases are going to influence the general public to look at student rights in a more positive light. With new views on rights our student bodies are going to see an increase in their ability to express their fundamental first amendment rights with less conflict. This conflict free zone is what we need to advance student rights to a point of zero conflict.
Citations:
Parker, Suzi. "Boobies, Bracelets and Free Speech in school." takepart. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/08/23/i-heart-boobie-bracelets-free-speech-in-schools>.
Lithwick, Dahlia. "Breast Reduction." slate.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/08/_i_heart_boobies_the_case_that_could_decide_the_fate_of_free_speech_for.html>.
Burdo, Alison. "U.S. Supreme Court Rejects "I (Heart) Boobies" Case ." NBC10.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/politics/Supreme-Court-Rejects-I-Heart-Boobies-Case-249276501.html>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_v._Des_Moines_Independent_Community_School_District>.
Chase Pierson
When allegations that 1st amendment rights were being violated in a Pennsylvania school district the question rose once again: What are students’ rights in schools? The allegations were made over bracelets that were made by a non-profit breast cancer awareness foundation, which bared the words “I (heart) boobies!” These allegations were made after two students had their bracelets taken away after a ban on the bracelets was put in place for the bracelets ‘sexual innuendo’. The case was taken to court and after some debate the Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the slogan on the bracelets is protected under the First Amendment. The Easton school district then appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the federal appeals court misapplied previous court cases to make the decision. On Monday, March 10th, the US Supreme Court announced that it would not hear the case. The students rights were not taken seriously and it makes me beg the question: If our nation is led by the people then why should those freedoms not trickle down into our school systems as well?
Our country, a democratic nation, survives because of our freedom of speech. Democracy is; control of an organization or group by the majority of its members. This applies to students as well; free speech in schools has been heavily debated since the 60s and still remains a highly debated topic in schools around the US. Since the 1919 Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States, people have been challenging their rights and promoting free speech. It is critically important that people, especially students, continue to challenge and push their rights, because if there was no opposition we would not have a strong democratic system.
Students have freedom of speech in schools however; our speech is viewed as limited by the general public. The first amendment states that students do maintain their freedom of speech in public school, and while these freedoms have always been made available to students the knowledge of their availability has been limited. The national realization of student rights came in the 60’s with the ‘Tinker v. Des Moines case. Two students had worn banned arm bands in protest of the Vietnam War to school. As a consequence the principle suspended the students as the predominate view at the time was that students did not maintain their rights in schools. The case was brought to the Supreme Court where the verdict, that is still used today, stated that students do not leave their rights at the schoolhouse gate.
Students have long been able to express themselves in school. Dyed hair, graphic tees, rings etc. But we do not have an issue with any of those cases, so how has the verdict of the banning of the “I (heart) boobies!” bracelets made society think differently about free speech in school? Since the court case was concluded and the nation learned of the verdict, several publications have been made stating what this case has done. “This is a powerful political statement by students with no sexual overtones,” says Mark Naison, a professor at Fordham University. “It should be protected by the courts. School districts that seek to suppress them are limiting freedom of speech and student self-expression, attributes we should treasure more than ever at a time when our schools are deluged with tests.” This was just one of many articles that expressed delight in the verdict of the “I (heart) boobies case!”
So what? Why is free speech in schools important? For some time now there have been arguments made on why free-speech is important in schools. They typically contain some bias and rule out important facts. I have selected two of these arguments. The first argument is that we are practicing to be adults in a democracy. This is a good argument because it gives a strong understanding on why free-speech is important. If we are going to grow up in a democracy we should be as prepared as we can be so we start off young. The second argument is that as of right now students are functioning as members of society in school. This is my favorite argument because it makes me feel more aware of my rights as of right now, not when I graduate. This argument falls directly in correlation with the Tinker v. Des Moines ruling that "students do not leave their rights at the schoolhouse gate." Free speech in a democracy is vital but it is even more vital that we give our students, the future of this country, a voice.
We know students have a voice, but in what ways can we improve our students’ rights in schools? In the United States we pride ourselves on the constitution. Freedom of speech, assemble, the right to bear arms etc. But when it comes to student rights especially free speech, the line gets blurry. We as a nation tend to look at students not as individuals but instead as a whole, this is impersonal. If we want to improve student rights we need to take a step out of our comfort zone and accept the fact that students have the same fundamental rights as adults. Several organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) focus on student rights and preparing students for a democratic society. With positive student environments and outstanding students that fight for their rights.[“I (heart) boobies!”] Student rights will improve.
As time progresses on we are going to see more and more student rights cases similar to the “I (heart) boobies!” case. These cases are going to influence the general public to look at student rights in a more positive light. With new views on rights our student bodies are going to see an increase in their ability to express their fundamental first amendment rights with less conflict. This conflict free zone is what we need to advance student rights to a point of zero conflict.
Citations:
Parker, Suzi. "Boobies, Bracelets and Free Speech in school." takepart. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/08/23/i-heart-boobie-bracelets-free-speech-in-schools>.
Lithwick, Dahlia. "Breast Reduction." slate.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/08/_i_heart_boobies_the_case_that_could_decide_the_fate_of_free_speech_for.html>.
Burdo, Alison. "U.S. Supreme Court Rejects "I (Heart) Boobies" Case ." NBC10.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/politics/Supreme-Court-Rejects-I-Heart-Boobies-Case-249276501.html>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_v._Des_Moines_Independent_Community_School_District>.