High School Censors Conservative Paper

The State News ^ | 5/17/05 | Tyler Whitney

[Kevin OMalley]

Here's another example of why high school as we know it is a doomed institution. We have been discussing inexpensive ways to fast track kids through high school to avoid the liberal agenda and other idiocies such as this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315730/posts?page=84#84

Unfortunately my thread title was not well thought out, because some parents might instinctively skip over it due to attached stigma, whether real or imagined.

[ladylib]

"Dr. Chapin informed them that he considers conservative views disruptive."

This guy is an idiot and he's going to be sued up the wazoo.

[SteveH]

(1) drop association with john birch society (defensive maneuver)

(2) get a court order to force the principal and the district to allow 1A expression on campus, citing the U.S. Supreme Court case Tinker v Des Moines School District, 393 US 503 (1969):

http://www.landmarkcases.org/tinker/home.html

From the ruling:

. . . First Amendment rights, applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment, are available to teachers and students. It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. . . .

. . . The Fourteenth Amendment, as now applied to the States, protects the citizen against the State itself and all of its creatures - Boards of Education not excepted. These have, of course, important, delicate, and highly discretionary functions, but none that they may not perform within the limits of the Bill of Rights. That they are educating the young for citizenship is reason for scrupulous protection of Constitutional freedoms of the individual, if we are not to strangle the free mind at its source and teach youth to discount important principles of our government as mere platitudes. . . .

. . . On the other hand, the Court has repeatedly emphasized the need for affirming the comprehensive authority of the States and of school officials, consistent with fundamental constitutional safeguards, to prescribe and control conduct in the schools. Our problem involves direct, primary First Amendment rights akin to "pure speech"

. . . In order for the State in the person of school officials to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint. Certainly where there is no finding and no showing that engaging in the forbidden conduct would "materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school," the prohibition cannot be sustained . . .

. . . the record fails to yield evidence that the school authorities had reason to anticipate that the wearing of the armbands would substantially interfere with the work of the school or impinge upon the rights of other students . . . [and] the school officials banned and sought to punish petitioners for a silent, passive expression of opinion, unaccompanied by any disorder or disturbance on the part of petitioners. . . .

It is also relevant that the school authorities did not purport to prohibit the wearing of all symbols of political or controversial significance . . . Instead, a particular symbol - black armbands worn to exhibit opposition to this Nation's involvement in Vietnam - was singled out for prohibition. Clearly, the prohibition of expression of one particular opinion, at least without evidence that it is necessary to avoid material and substantial interference with schoolwork or discipline, is not constitutionally permissible. In our system, state-operated schools may not be enclaves of totalitarianism. School officials do not possess absolute authority over their students. Students in school as well as out of school are "persons" under our Constitution. In the absence of a specific showing of constitutionally valid reasons to regulate their speech, students are entitled to freedom of expression of their views. . . .

Typically the last stand of a school or college is to label free speech "disruptive." You know you have them cornered
if they come out swinging with this one.

I am not a lawyer and do not play one on TV... ;-)

[randog]

So let the queers and muzzies print their own broadsheet. Let the marketplace of ideas flourish. That's why conservatism is seeing a re-birth--our ideas only gain more credence when held up against the left's drivel.

[Publius Valerius]

once the door is opened, any group of students can distribute whatever publications they wish.

And that's a problem because....?

[goldstategop]

That's the one I believe inspired David Kelley to write last Sunday's Boston Legal episode. It substituted Fox News Channel for this high school newspaper but it was uncannily the same right down to the bigoted principal. I love how it made liberals look like the intolerant and narrow-minded jerks they are.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[cgbg]

After you get the right to distribute I would encourage you to have your next issue call for the abolition of public schools on the grounds they are child abuse.

Search here under home school articles for plenty of intellectual ammunition.

Then your slimy principal will find out just how disruptive conservative views are. :-)

I worked on such a publication in my youth, and ended up being invited to write a guest column in a local newspaper.

Now the only publishing I do is here on FR. :-)

Remember that you can also create a web site that has every edition of your publication and then send kids to that site.

Keep up the good work!

[CouncilofTrent]

Woah!!! I live about a short walk from there (im a university student).

[CouncilofTrent]

I'm suprised the "State News" even put this article in the newspaper. Generally, its filled with the BS opinons of the liberal "elite". I only get it for the crossword :) Let me see if I can email this guy. Fight the good fight.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

contact these two groups IMMEDIATELY: PJI first.

Pacific Justice Institute, http://pji.org/

Gateways to Better Education, www.GTBE.org

[foolscap]

East Lansing High School has prohibited the distribution of underground or independent publications

That was the policy of my high school when I went to school many many moons ago. It may have nothing to do with it being a conservative paper but rather a desire to not allow unauthorized printed materials distributed on campus. If this rule has been in place for a long time and if other papers have been withheld for the same reason I can't really fault the administration. Now, if they just made the rule up in response to this particular paper then there is an issue. A little history on this would be helpful.

[dufekin]

The Declaration (and even the Constitution itself) is unconstitutional to proclaim in any manner in a public-school setting because it exposes students to an infringement of their absolute right to abject atheism. Public schools are becoming penal institutions compulsory for all of those children whose parents "chose poorly" in not aborting them. As such, those diurnally incarcerated therein have no rights whatsoever, but must believe and espouse any and all of the declarations of the National Education Association or American Federation of Teachers, until such time as they may graduate.

[freepatriot32]

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