A federal appeals court held that a California public high school was within its rights after it disciplined two former students for creating and interacting with an Instagram account that shared posts targeting their Black classmates.
Students of All Ages Should Not Lose First Amendment Rights at School
Two elementary school students in Ardmore, Oklahoma were pulled from their public school classrooms for wearing “Black Lives Matters” t-shirts,” reports The New York Times. Such action likely violates the First Amendment, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision protecting student-initiated expression in the public schools—Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969).
Wisconsin Public Schools Can Prohibit Students From Wearing Shirts with Guns, Judge Rules
A federal court ruled that two Wisconsin public schools that banned students from wearing clothing with depictions of firearms did not violate students' First Amendment rights. The decision to side with the school came as an unpleasant surprise to free speech scholars who thought the schools’ dress code policies were overly restrictive.
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.