Tinker Des Moines Essay

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Freedom of speech is the guaranteed right for an individual to portray their beliefs and express their ideas. Freedom of speech is supported under the First Amendment, but to an extent certain things are limited to help protect everyone. The idea of freedom of speech is seen in current world events, where university students take a stance of displaying pro-Palestanian protests against the Israelites. These protests have escalated around the country and students have begun to increase their violence, causing disruption on school campuses. This issue of free speech can be revealed through the text, “Tinker Des Moines: Freedom of Speech for Students” written by Law for Kids. The article shows students being suspended for violating the school’s …show more content…
These express that the issue of free speech is a rising conflict that argues if punishments toward students are justifiable or not. Therefore, even though students have freedom of speech, students should be punished for actions that violate school regulations and engage in the disruption of school learning. However, students should not be punished for anything that occurs outside of school or does not go against the First Amendment. Students deserve to express their First Amendment rights through their ability to protest serious world incidents, like war. The “Tinker Des Moines” case shows students protesting the Vietnam War that was occurring during their time. The case reveals how students received punishment for simply utilizing their First Amendment rights. During the student protest at school, students wore armbands as a way to express their strong support, however, “Mary Beth was called to the principal’s office. He demanded she remove the armband. He then suspended Mary Beth. The other students were also suspended for violating the ban on protests.” (Law for Kids …show more content…
Moreover, as the “Tinker Des Moines” case was further looked at and investigated by the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court came to the conclusion that “students and teachers do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” (Law for Kids 11) This indicates that the students First Amendment right to peacefully protest is supported by the Supreme Court and the students are able to do so, whether the school accepts it or not. Schools are not allowed to silence students unless they “disrupt classwork or involve substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others.” (Law for Kids 11) Therefore, the school’s attempt to silence and prevent the protest was a violation of their freedom of speech, because their protest was not a representation of any violence, threat, or disruption within the school. As students are given the right to freedom of speech under the constitution, schools tend to decrease this right, preventing students from fully exercising it to their

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