By Khoa Tran
Free speech is something we all get as a natural right. But why is it that some schools try to take it away from us, penalizing us when we say controversial things even if the statement can ruin a schools reputation?
For example, in 2012, a Minnesota student was forced to turn over her Facebook account in the presence of a sheriff’s deputy because she simply said that the hall monitor was “mean” to her. After that incident, the ACLU or the “American Civil Liberties Union” stepped in and sued the school and won 70 thousand dollars.
Recently, Deyshia Hargrave, a teacher from Louisiana, was handcuffed, arrested, and escorted out of a school board meeting simply questioning why the superintendent received a raise, which brought him up from a salary of $110k to over $140k, while the teachers haven’t had a raise in years.
She said, “I feel like it’s a slap in the face of all teachers, cafeteria workers and any other support staff we have. We work very hard with very little.”
The problem with schools restricting free speech at school was first brought up in 1965, when a student named Mary Beth Tinker, wore a black armband to school to protest the Vietnam War. Although she was promptly suspended by the school, the protest then led to the famous case of Tinker v. Des Moines, in which the court said that students do not “shed their constitutional right to freedom of speech or expression at the school gate.” The court also said that they couldn’t forbid student expression simply because they wanted to avoid controversy.
In an interview with a Yerba Buena English teacher Rigo Chacon, he said, “Every single person, including students, has a constitutional right to say almost anything he or she wants to. Students can criticize, opine, question, and voice their thoughts freely in this country. There are, of course, some limitations. The most frequent example of what one cannot say is yelling ‘Fire!’in a crowded theater.”
That being said, with "free speech" comes responsibility. While free speech allows one to say what he or she wants, there are restrictions, e.g., threats, defamation, etc.
“My hope is that students feel comfortable -- every day -- to speak freely inside and outside of the classroom,” says Chacon.
Although some schools tried to take away the students freedom of speech, most schools don’t. Chacon said, “Definitely not. In fact, I think, for the most part, school personnel encourage it.”
“I think there is a fine line simply because ‘some’ teachers may feel that they may face repercussions for questioning decisions made at the admin/district level. That said, personally, I don't feel restricted at all.”
Although Mr. Chacon doesn’t feel restricted, other might not feel comfortable speaking up due to fear of repercussions for questioning decisions, such as the Louisiana teacher who spoke up.
I think students at YB shouldn’t be scared to speak up and that they shouldn’t be intimidated by school administration. Of course, there are limits to what you can say on school campus, such as there’s a shooter on campus,bomb, or anything that might offend anyone else. But otherwise, we students should be able to speak what's on our minds without fear of repercussions because it is our right to have freedom of speech.
For example, in 2012, a Minnesota student was forced to turn over her Facebook account in the presence of a sheriff’s deputy because she simply said that the hall monitor was “mean” to her. After that incident, the ACLU or the “American Civil Liberties Union” stepped in and sued the school and won 70 thousand dollars.
Recently, Deyshia Hargrave, a teacher from Louisiana, was handcuffed, arrested, and escorted out of a school board meeting simply questioning why the superintendent received a raise, which brought him up from a salary of $110k to over $140k, while the teachers haven’t had a raise in years.
She said, “I feel like it’s a slap in the face of all teachers, cafeteria workers and any other support staff we have. We work very hard with very little.”
The problem with schools restricting free speech at school was first brought up in 1965, when a student named Mary Beth Tinker, wore a black armband to school to protest the Vietnam War. Although she was promptly suspended by the school, the protest then led to the famous case of Tinker v. Des Moines, in which the court said that students do not “shed their constitutional right to freedom of speech or expression at the school gate.” The court also said that they couldn’t forbid student expression simply because they wanted to avoid controversy.
In an interview with a Yerba Buena English teacher Rigo Chacon, he said, “Every single person, including students, has a constitutional right to say almost anything he or she wants to. Students can criticize, opine, question, and voice their thoughts freely in this country. There are, of course, some limitations. The most frequent example of what one cannot say is yelling ‘Fire!’in a crowded theater.”
That being said, with "free speech" comes responsibility. While free speech allows one to say what he or she wants, there are restrictions, e.g., threats, defamation, etc.
“My hope is that students feel comfortable -- every day -- to speak freely inside and outside of the classroom,” says Chacon.
Although some schools tried to take away the students freedom of speech, most schools don’t. Chacon said, “Definitely not. In fact, I think, for the most part, school personnel encourage it.”
“I think there is a fine line simply because ‘some’ teachers may feel that they may face repercussions for questioning decisions made at the admin/district level. That said, personally, I don't feel restricted at all.”
Although Mr. Chacon doesn’t feel restricted, other might not feel comfortable speaking up due to fear of repercussions for questioning decisions, such as the Louisiana teacher who spoke up.
I think students at YB shouldn’t be scared to speak up and that they shouldn’t be intimidated by school administration. Of course, there are limits to what you can say on school campus, such as there’s a shooter on campus,bomb, or anything that might offend anyone else. But otherwise, we students should be able to speak what's on our minds without fear of repercussions because it is our right to have freedom of speech.