Free Speech for Students?

I'm doing a report on how free speech for American students has greatly declined over the years(e.g. students suspended for anti-bush shirt or anti-gay shirt, etc.), and would greatly appriciate it if some people could link me to informative sites with stories or incidents, or just anything that would relate to and help my research. Thanks in advance.

There are several major anti-free speech movements going throughout schools across the nation. Religious students, anti-war, pro-gay, etc. are being suspended for exercising their free speech. I've heard of people suspended for taking a Bible to school, wearing a anti-war tee-shirt, etc. And schools have been given a lot of power by the courts not challenging it.

Try these links to start out. And good luck!
www.aclu.org...
www.aclu.org...
www.google.com...

I myself was censored for a comment I had in my Research paper, and was cut short on comments in class. We had a thing were we would take a news article write a summary on it and discuss it, and I have this "Blunt, in your face, George Carlin mixes with Denis Miller" sort of commentaries, nothing obscene but I would have the most extreme opnion of the class, and I would incorperate humor in it sometimes. Well she did not like that. I would start giant class fights over Iraq and Palestine and Kerry and issues like that. I did not goof off with my comments, just that I did not hold back at all, I did not squirm around for something that would not offend anyone. If you were offend by something I said about Bush or Kerry ( I took swipes at both) tough crap.

Once when my mother was in school, her friend was in a writing class. The teacher had them wright something on war, it had to be the Vietnam war. She writes a paper that said our troops were heroes and that we should respect them and her teacher failed her since "The beliefs in the paper were wrong". The girl's parents sued the school and settled out of court.

The main reason you are at school is to get an education. Any social interactions comming from this environment are a bonus.

If you are in High School or below, your free speech rights should be limited...so that as level of a learning environment for all can be efforted.
Most students at this level are minors under the law anyway, so keeping things (them) under tighter controls for the "kids safety" could be raised as to why school is a more restricted speech environment.

But once your in college, I would hope and expect that speech would not be hindered except when you might be in a position of responsibillity to say your school/Frat, team, etc. (you should always be mindful of what you say)
Plus most students at college will be of legal voting age and so it would be expected that they would then be more political by nature, as well as vocal about it.

Free speech is also a responsibillity, so things said/published in college might come back to haunt a person later, or have a more immediate reaction to the speech given.

Keep it clean in grade school,
in college, watch your tung.

CazMedia,

Or we teach our children , from school age, that they can not have their own opinions. They can not think for themselves, unless it agrees with the current political BS being pushed. Since we "beat them down" in the lower grades, most will not bother once they get older.

I thought freedom of speech was for every one ( thats free) if so students shoud be able to say what ever the heck they want. they shoud learn to stand up for them slevs and speech is one of the ways to do it.

[edit on 26-7-2004 by KC8]

[edit on 26-7-2004 by KC8]

how far do we TAKE this "restricting" free speech in lower grades? after all, the more intolerant and restrictive we are the more punitive we must be.... how draconian should we GET with opinionated 11 year olds??

i see schools becoming a type of "bridge" through which government authority can probe and dictate affairs in the homes of students- all under the banner of maintaining a "proper" school environment.

Supposedly there was a case in which a student said the word "ass" as a swear in some school speech. The kid got in all sorts of trouble. This case went all the way to the supreme court were they ruled in favor of the school. Then a person who was in my eight grade class was running for student council president. Anyhow he was forced to change his speech because he was going to say that the school dances sucked. And they did suck so it wasn't just propaganda. Those are just some examples. Try looking up supreme court cases. And get a copy of the patriot act. Anyhow good luck with your report.

Regardless of you views on the topics, I would say that the main point would be to find out where the point is that restriction begins.

That is the crux of the matter. Start from the begining (Constitution), I would use some Emerson in there too.

Fast forward to today. Personally I would slam the schools for being restrictive in the first place. They of all people know that the more force you use on kids the less it works and the more vile the opposition it creates.

Victor asks the same question Howard Stern does,

how far do we TAKE this "restricting" free speech

The Government doesnt mandate that anyone listens to the tv/radio,
however,
it does say that everyone must attend school.
Therefore, as you are already under government restristions (that you must attendschool) you would be under the governments general jurisdiction in a tax paid for school.

If all citizens are paying into this education fund, then some basic guidlines and assurances will be enacted so that everyone that takes part in the public schools will know what the environment is about and what behaivor to expectand exhibit there.

You do have the freedom to place your child into a private school or even home educate them where the threat from a school being a

type of "bridge" through which government authority can probe and dictate affairs in the homes of students

will be reduced or eliminated.

I dont have kids in the schools, yet a huge portion of my local taxes goes into the school budget, well, that means I ecpect certain things are done to ensure an even educational experiance for MINORS as can be expected, and this may require restrictions in order to do this.

If you would like to foot your own kids educational costs by putting them in private schools, then you can have more control in paticular aspects of what things may or may not be restricted in their educational environments.

untill then...become part of the society or decide to stand outide of the culture and risk the consequences. School is an exersize of CONFORMITY, not doing your own thing.