In T2 Reading, we are learning about the Bill of Rights and how it connects to students in the school system. We are learning about what is okay in terms of expressing our freedom of speech, and where the supreme court draws the line.

Here are some examples of our readings, we will let you decide whether you believe the people who expressed their opinion are in the right, meaning that their First Amendment Rights were violated or in the wrong. The answers will be listed at the bottom of this article.

Case 1: “Students wore black armbands to school to protest the war in Vietnam. The schools told them to take them off or they would run the risk of being suspended. The students sued the school district for taking away their First Amendment. “

Is this constitutional or not constitutional?  

Case 2: “Teens who were part of the school paper wrote about the impact of divorce and teen pregnancy. The principal became upset as it wasn’t the business of others to know this type of information as it was very personal and didn’t let the articles be published. The girls sued for taking away their First Amendment right.

Is this constitutional or not constitutional?

Rulings

Case 1: The courts said that what they did was okay as they didn’t disrupt the learning environment so it was constitutional what the students did.

Case 2: The courts said that the schools were in the right as the school newspaper isn’t public and it is more of an educational experience and the information being put out wasn’t educational.

This information is important to know because we all have the freedom of speech, but we also need to know how far we can go before we get into problems. So, if there ever comes a time that you want to acknowledge something you are not okay with, know how to do it to not get yourself in hot water.