The year was nineteen sixty five, the Mustang had arrived, the Rolling Stones were on a world tour, and perhaps most important of all, the Vietnam War was being heavily protested throughout the country. These protests were not limited to just crowds however; it slithered all the way down to a small group of high school students. These students had unknowingly started a case that would end up making a huge impact on how the public school system may limit a student’s freedom of expression.
Starting at the beginning, students John Tinker and Christopher Eckhardt wished to protest the war by promoting peace the way they went about this was by deciding to wear black armbands with a peace sign on them. However, even before they could wear them to school the school board heard of their plan and quickly made a policy to state that those would not be allowed due to being deemed a distraction to the classrooms. This obviously did not sit well with the two students, as well as a few others involved such as Tinker’s sister, …show more content…
Both offered support and to help with the lawsuit, with this soon it was fully underway. Courts now faced the question, “Do first amendment rights apply in the classroom.” (Natalie Boyd, 2015) First the case was taken to the U.S. District Court, the arguments made by The School District were that: freedom of speech was not absolute, and the arm bands would have caused the distraction of other students, finally stating that in order for a school to properly function rules must be in place preventing even potentially distracting acts or items. Meanwhile the students argued that: the armbands caused no substantial disruption, and that schools are meant to be an environment of learning, even subjects such as the controversy of the Vietnam War. Disappointingly, the District Court’s decision upheld that of the school
Starting at the beginning, students John Tinker and Christopher Eckhardt wished to protest the war by promoting peace the way they went about this was by deciding to wear black armbands with a peace sign on them. However, even before they could wear them to school the school board heard of their plan and quickly made a policy to state that those would not be allowed due to being deemed a distraction to the classrooms. This obviously did not sit well with the two students, as well as a few others involved such as Tinker’s sister, …show more content…
Both offered support and to help with the lawsuit, with this soon it was fully underway. Courts now faced the question, “Do first amendment rights apply in the classroom.” (Natalie Boyd, 2015) First the case was taken to the U.S. District Court, the arguments made by The School District were that: freedom of speech was not absolute, and the arm bands would have caused the distraction of other students, finally stating that in order for a school to properly function rules must be in place preventing even potentially distracting acts or items. Meanwhile the students argued that: the armbands caused no substantial disruption, and that schools are meant to be an environment of learning, even subjects such as the controversy of the Vietnam War. Disappointingly, the District Court’s decision upheld that of the school