Freedom of speech is considered a right all humans have as recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article Nineteen).

It is also seen as an international human rights law as well as being recognized in Europe, America, and in many African regions as law.

How should that inalienable human right apply to children and their schools?

Although they often make us wonder, children are people as well; so should their right to freedom of speech not be included?

Kids being kids, if even a small percentage of them spoke their minds about what they thought of school and their teachers, it would be difficult to get things done.

Then again, maybe they should not be given complete freedom of speech at school?

They are supposed to be learning how to be responsible, productive, law abiding members of society while they are growing up.

Kids are supposed to learn how to filter what they say in order to get along better in society; if schools allowed open freedom of speech how is that to be done?

In recent years freedom of speech at school has been an interesting and often debated issue in the halls of justice and in the media.

Is the same protection afforded the men and women of the Ku Klux Klan, the Black Panthers, and every extremist militant group within the borders of the United States?

Prayer in school has been dealt with as a freedom of speech issue and one of religious freedom as well.

Students posting funny yet disrespectful content about their teachers and administrators have become an issue.

‘Bong hits for Jesus’ even made it all the way to the Supreme Court!

Our kids are people and should have the right to freedom of speech at school and everywhere else they go.

FREE SPEECH 4 STUDENTS RALLY. MEDIA MONTAGE

TINKER V. DES MOINES INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District in 1969 helped define the extent to which freedom of speech would be allowed and when it would not.

In the interest of maintaining discipline and order so that the educational process can operate, censorship is allowed only in cases in which discipline is disrupted and the rights of others are infringed upon.

In the following years, this broad statement was narrowed down somewhat.

FURTHER DEFININGS

The mid-1980s saw a number of cases get to the Supreme Court for further defining of freedom of speech at school. Disciplinary action was considered legal for sexual yet not obscene conduct (i.e., in student elections). The school was also given the right to censor the school newspaper (as long as it had not previously been designated as a student form of free speech).

Other, less intelligent cases actually made it to the Supreme Court in the 2000s. One student’s case was won that allowed him to wear a shirt depicting Bush as a drinker and drug user. Another student took his case all the way to the land’s highest court over a sign that read ‘Bong Hits For Jesus.’