Monday, April 23, 2007

Student Newspaper Article Sparks Free Speech Debate and Pending Teacher Suspension


I'll let you judge for yourself. You can read this article on The First Amendment Center's website. It seems a student wrote an editorial in her Indiana high school newspaper asking everyone to accept those 'who are different.'

The newspaper advisor/teacher is in danger of losing her job...and a hearing is scheduled on May 1st. The site is also a very good source of information on other First Amendment Rights issues, no matter which side of the fence your opinion falls. If you read it, oddly, Indiana has some other school/paper/free speech issues.


The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.— The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Of course this issue deals with students - most of whom are not yet 18 years of age. Somehow a student's editorial asking us to all be tolerant of each other's differences does not seem like something that needs to be censored.

Here is the CNN on line article about it. A deeper discussion from an Indiana reporter with the Decatur Democrat. The teacher is interviewed a bit in this article and she says she would make the same decision again. What do you think? Peace Out - 3C