Martha Dalton at WABE released a story today, How Does The First Amendment Apply To Public Schools
Dalton is reporting that Russell Brooks has a son at Chamblee Charter High School and received a call recently that his son was going to be suspended for four days for wearing a sticker calling for the firing of the principal.
The school district’s statement is
“The DeKalb County School District supports the constitutional right of its students to freedom of speech, but it also requires that such exercises do not disrupt or degrade the learning environment. When that standard is violated, the district reviews each transgression on its own merits and uses the DCSD Student Code of Conduct as its guide in taking corrective action.
“Three students at Chamblee Charter High School were found to have violated that standard and were held accountable. The violations were considered disruptions of the school environment per the DCSD Student Code of Conduct.”
The administration has since reduced the punishment to a one-day in-school suspension.
Student Code of Conduct 2018 – 2019
Stan Jester
DeKalb County
Board Of Education
I advocate for the First Amendment across the board. I’m concerned once again the freedom of students to express themselves is not being equally defended. It would seem that the school district only defends speech they agree with and calls all other speech disruptive.
Recall Protesting Cheerleaders at DHS. The school district sanctioned a Black Lives Matter rally at Dunwoody High School where the students held signs and yelled “Hey Hey – Ho Ho – Racist white people have got to go!”
At Cedar Grove High School the girls softball team took a knee before their playoff game.
[Updated 10/17] As noted by the Pravda commentor, “Let us not forget the 2nd amendment walkout/rally thing that happened. That certainly wasn’t quiet. It was definitely disruptive. Students were not punished for walking out of class in mass.”
However, my son can’t wear a Fake News Network shirt and Russell Brooks’ son can wear a sticker calling for the principal to be fired. There seems to be a double standard here.
What are your thoughts?
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DeKalb Schools – Free Speech….For Some?
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We received a phone call from the principal of the middle school this morning informing us that Jaxon was not allowed to wear an FNN-Fake News Network shirt.
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“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”