Answer to last entry’s question: the act of moving forward (as toward a goal)
The issue of 1st amendment rights has laced American history from the most potent civil rights movement to the most petty office strike. Free speech saturates the American ideal, freedom of expression is as essential to our way of life as every blinking traffic light. Still these rights are questioned and challenged yearly, and, when the press is concerned, the very functionality of our democracy is confronted, and we must decide between censorship and truth.
Recently at the NSPA conference in Philadelphia, I was able to attend several sessions that discussed the nature of debates surrounding 1st amendment issues, and one in particular stood out. In 2002, 18-year-old Joseph Frederick was suspended from the high school where he was a senior after he displayed a banner reading "BONG HiTS 4 JESUS" across the street from the school in Juneau, Alaska, during the Winter Olympics torch relay. This event evolved into the case of Morse v. Frederick, in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that a school principal may, consistent with the First Amendment, restrict student speech at a school event when that speech is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use. As Frederick was at a school sanctioned event, and his sign was clearly a reference to illegal drugs, the schools decision was viewed as justified.
The decision did somewhat limit my rights as a student journalist, however, unless I am planning to promote the use of illegal drugs, I can see no instance where this event can be sued to censor my writing. Fortunately, the staff at James River is very open about the student publications, and the Principle has a strictly hands off policy when it come to prior review. That is an uncommon luxury, and our newspaper has no problem in taking full advantage of that fact.
Question: What resources are available to support students victimized by censorship?
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