You Be The Judge
Test your knowledge of the Five Freedoms and see how you match up to the courts...and fellow citizens.
Student Speech at Graduation
Can a school bar a student from giving a religiously themed graduation speech?
Vote Now!
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Vote AA. YESA graduation ceremony is not an open speech forum but a government ceremony, and as such, the school has a responsibility to avoid Establishment Clause violations during its graduation ceremony.
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Vote BB. YESStudents at public schools have no First Amendment rights. School is a place for children to be seen, not heard.
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Vote CC. NO
Although schools may censor certain forms of student speech and dress, they may not censor a student for expressing his religious views in a public setting. The rights of school officials to limit student expression are not absolute.
Icon of Freedom
A principal in Modesto, California, Jamal Fields is a National Leadership Fellow with the Five Freedoms Project. His ideal school is a place where "kids and adults are on a journey of discovery together. Students, staff and families are actively engaged in the practice of democracy every day. Students engage in important work that is meaningful and productive toward making a better society. And the school is fluid in the content it addresses but consistent in teaching the big ideas of citizenship in a democratic society."
