25th Annual Bill of Rights
Art and Essay Contest, 2008-2009

TOPIC:  Should students' rights to free speech and
              expression be limited or denied at school?

1st Prize, Middle School
by D.B. from Pacific Grove Middle School

ACLU Freedom of Speech

In the words of Benjamin Franklin: "Without Freedom of thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such thing as public Liberty without Freedom of Speech." In other words, it means that without being able to think, you will have no knowledge, and a part of having freedom is having freedom of speech. Students should have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression at school, only if it does not involve discrimination, profanity, or danger. Some examples of students using their first amendment rights are gathering for religious reasons at school, the right to express opinions in school newspapers, and protesting for things they believe in.

The Bill of Rights says that Congress cannot make laws that favor one specific religion or, make laws against the right to worship freely. There are many schools that do not give students these same rights. Although this gives the school a sense of authority, it goes against the constitution to prohibit students to gather for religious purposes. For example, if a student is a member of the Christian faith and decides to have a prayer meeting at lunch with other Christians, they should be allowed to do so. They are not doing anyone any danger, it does not interfere with educational classes, and they are using their first amendment right. Teachers who do not give students their rights are committing a crime against the constitution and should not be allowed to do so.

School newspapers are very common these days in high schools. They are made by students (and not teachers) because they are part of the student body and will know what topics to write about that will appeal to the rest of their fellow students. If what they write about is not harmful to others, they should be able to write about anything they choose. In the case of Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmier, the principal deleted two pages in the school newspaper involving divorce and pregnancy. Divorce is something that may students these days experience, so the writers should not have had their articles censored for simply trying to relate to other students. Although talking about pregnancy in a high school paper was maybe not the most appropriate thing to write about, it is still something that is happening more often now. By talking about it, the writers were trying to send a message out to other students what not to do and how it can affect their lives. Even though the principal had the authority to delete the pages because it was an official publication, the principal still had no right to violate the students' rights the way he did.

Protesting is something that has occurred for a very long time. Most likely since the Bill of Rights was officially published saying people had the right to do so. When people protest something, they are standing up for what they believe in and supporting other people who do too. In 1965, three students of the Des Moines school District in Iowa decided to wear black arm-bands to school in protest of the Vietnam War. When some of the school faculty heard about this, they suspended the students from school. The teachers thought that this might disrupt classes and cause disorder in the school. However, the students were not doing this. They were simply standing up for what they believed in and using their right to free expression. The students sued the school district and the court ended up siding with the students saying the teachers violated their rights to free speech. The court did a good thing, proving that the first amendment right applies to school as well as common people.

When Benjamin Franklin wrote the quote referenced in the first paragraph, he believed that freedom of speech was very important in society. The cases of Hazelwood vs. Kulhmier and Tinker vs. Des Moines are some examples of students using their first amendment rights to free speech. If students are not being cruel or inappropriate, they should have the right to free expression at school. Our society should encourage students to stand up for what they believe in and give them a voice because today's kids will shape the future. No school should deny a student their right to free speech.