You Be The Judge
Test your knowledge of the Five Freedoms and see how you match up to the courts...and fellow citizens.
Student Dress Codes
In September 2008, middle school students in Aurora, Colorado were urged to wear red, white and blue to express their patriotism. One eleven-year-old decided to wear a homemade shirt with the message “Obama — a Terrorist’s Best Friend.”
School officials, based on their belief that the shirt was being disruptive, gave the student the option of changing his shirt, turning it inside-out, or facing suspension. The student chose to be suspended, and he and his father sued, claiming a violation of the boy’s First Amendment right to free speech.May a student wear a t-shirt to school that reads, “Obama — a Terrorist’s Best Friend”?
Vote Now!
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Vote AA. YESSchools may not censor student political speech unless they can prove it would cause (or has caused) a material or substantial disruption of the school environment, or collide(d) with the rights of others.
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Vote BB. NOSchools have a responsibility to encourage respectful behavior and guarantee the safety of all students. The likelihood that the shirt’s message would promote a disruptive school environment outweighs the student’s First Amendment right to freedom of expression.
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Vote CC. NOStudents in public schools do not have the First Amendment right to wear t-shirts expressing political ideas. Such messages threaten the capacity of school officials to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment.
Icon of Freedom
Nina Graves-Hicks
A Collaborative School Leader
Nina Hicks is the principal for Davis Aerospace High School, in Detroit, Michigan. An inaugural member of the Five Freedoms Leadership Academy, Nina is committed to making Davis a more collaborative, democratic and high-functioning learning community.
