Student Can Wear ‘Jesus Loves Me’ Face Mask; Mississippi School District Settles Lawsuit

A Mississippi public school district agreed to retract a policy in a settlement Jan. 25 after it violated a third grader’s First Amendment right to wear a face mask to school with “Jesus Loves Me” written on it.

First Amendment Watch and FIRE Release New Campus Speech Modules

As the end of the current semester quickly approaches, First Amendment Watch and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education are already thinking ahead to this fall’s freshman orientation season on America’s college campuses. Use our latest orientation modules to talk about student press freedom and student's online speech rights.

Nebraska Student Journalists Challenge School’s Prior Review Policy

For almost 50 years, the Westside Wired, Westside High School's student newspaper, has been a leading example in independent, timely hard-hitting student journalism. Now, students say a new prior review policy is threatening that legacy.

Can A Public School Punish A Student For Off-Campus Speech?

On January 8th, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving a high school student who was suspended from her cheerleading team for a Snapchat selfie she made after school hours. The lower courts are currently split as to whether a school can discipline off-campus speech that is substantially disruptive and closesly linked to school.

Students Prohibited from Wearing Pro-Gun T-Shirts Can Move Forward with Claims

Two students who were prohibited from wearing pro-gun t-shirts in school can now move forward with their First Amendment claims after a federal judge found that the shirts were protected speech.

Texas Governor Says Teacher Who Showed Cartoon Comparing Police to KKK Should Be Fired

The cartoon is made up of five panels and starts with an image of a slave ship owner kneeling on a Black man's neck, and ends with a police officer kneeling on a Black man while he says "I can't breathe."

Parents of Two High School Students Sue Over Right to Wear Gun T-Shirts in Class

The lawsuit argues that the students’ shirts do not advocate for violent or illegal use of firearms, but are meant to express support for “the value to society of personal possession of arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”