Student Free Speech Rights

A Pennsylvania cheerleader used very vulgar language on Snapchat to express her anger when she was not promoted to the varsity cheer team. She was disciplined for this by her high school. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that such speech was protected by the First Amendment but added that schools do have the right to discipline out of school speech that is, for instance, harassing or bullying. NPR's Nina Totenberg has the story here. 3 min. 36 sec. transcript available.

Student Speech and the First Amendment before the U.S. Supreme Court

A high school cheerleader, disappointed she was not chosen for the varsity cheerleading team, posted her feelings online with a picture and its caption "F*** school F*** softball, F*** cheer, F*** everything". She was punished by the school so she went to court invoking her First Amendment free speech right. The case was argued before the Supreme Court on April 28. NPR's Nina Totenberg has a report of the oral argument here. 4 min. 58 sec. transcript available.

Armbands Against the Vietnam War - Today

Nina Totenberg on NPR's All Things Considered of January 3rd  reports on the reenactment of a 50 year old U.S. Supreme Court case, Tinker v. the Des Moines Independent Community School District.

Tinker was one of five students who in 1965 wore a black armband to school to protest the Vietnam War. She was suspended by school authorities. Four years later, the Supreme Court ruled by a 7 to 2 vote that the school authority was wrong to punish her action.
The re-enactment was part of a project to teach school children about the rule of law. 6 min, transcript available.

For an update on student free speech, see this post.