In Tinker, the students weren’t cutting class, such it’s not a relevant precedent for the walk outs.
Of course students have the right to walk out or sit in or express themselves in a peaceful manner. Unfortunately because of school shootings in our district kids are locked into their classrooms for every class and only teachers can open the doors. But if a student requests to leave and there’s no danger to others they have to let them out. The school board should discipline any teacher who imprisons kids against their will and doesn’t let them leave.
^ Sounds more like prison than school.
Curious if anyone else has seen all the ‘chatter’ on the internet tonight about a school in Arkansas that administered corporal punishment to three students who walked out of school today? It sounds unbelievable to me but these days, it would take a lot to surprise me.
Much as I would like to point to Tinker as definitive, I do wonder how this case (student walk out) would play out. While Tinker upholds the students’ right to freedom of speech as regards wearing the black armbands in question, it specifically allows an exception to those rights if the conduct (as defined in Tinker by the wearing of the armbands) would “materially and substantially” interfere with the school’s operation. While I can see the argument of those who would say that the walk out would, in fact, do so, the Court held that the fear of such interference would not suffice to restrict the rights of the students in the absence of actual interference. Could a school district provide the necessary threshold evidence required to restrict the students’ exercise of their right to freedom of speech by showing that such activity would materially and substantially interfere with the operation of the school? I can see the argument though I don’t agree and have no idea or opinion on how the current court would rule.
What I do think is that these kids are thoughtful, articulate, and full of the kind of passion that makes me believe real dialogue can be possible.
Big difference between wearing an expression on a hat, shirt, or arm band and an organized (or unorganized) walk out from a school. All kinds of safety and crowd control concerns with the later.
Unfortunately passion can cloud judgement and make it difficult to have real dialogue. (And that is with both sides of an issue). It’s easy to scream, shout, and protest. It’s much more difficult to legislate and govern. Which is why it’s such a slow process.
“All kinds of safety and crowd control concerns with the later.”
I didn’t hear of anything that happened at all these walkouts irt safety or crowd control issue. The students weren’t rioting - they were staging peaceful protests. And in many schools the faculty and administrations were also participants.
What the students learned by participating in this act of civil disobedience is far more educational then anything they would have learned in the 17 minutes they missed in class.
You don’t think hundreds or thousands of students walking out of class isn’t a crowd control issue? Every morning and every afternoon our school has police, security and teachers working to keep the students moving along and staying out of trouble. Every football and basketball game, there are police, security, barricades, etc. to control where the crowds can go or not. I know that was the number one concern in our district. They took it seriously.
I’ve been following the news all day. Various sources, including on-the-ground activists and independent reporters that I follow. Not one single mention of violence (with the exception of school administrators if the above story is more than just rumors) anywhere that I’ve seen.
I truly think it scares a lot of people that kids are waking up and seeing, recognizing, and seizing the power that they hold in their hands.
No I don’t think it was a concern and AFAIK there were no safety issues or problems with crowd control issues that occurred anywhere during today’s protests. Sounds like a made up excuse some schools used.
There is none of that stuff at our high school. The only police is a DARE officer (who might not even be there anymore) and he’s not outside telling any students to move along.
How much of a fire code violation must that be??? I’m horrified.
My children are long out of high school, but I drove past our middle school and high school yesterday at 10am. What I saw was a campus where the driveway entrances TO the school were blocked by maintenance trucks and staff to, I presume, keep the students safe, while they exercised their right to free speech and assembly. I saw a large number (our HS only has about 1600 students) of students headed to the adjacent football field where they were listening to speakers and observing the 17 minutes of respect for the victims of Parkland. No student appeared to be leaving school property; it was quiet, it was powerful. And while the Tinker case acknowledged, as @yourmomma says, the difference between words, speech, and action, it very specifically said that the fear of something happening may not be a sufficient reason to abridge the students’ right to freedom of speech (and other cases have protected actions, though I don’t have the time to do the research right now).
Our students have an open campus, coming and going throughout the day, and during all kinds of drills (including actual bomb scares) they leave the building, en masse, without incident. I would so rather take the risk that they can handle themselves responsibly than know my children were locked in their classrooms…I can’t even imagine.
Rather than directly support a political perspective, I believe our district provided a safe place for our students to exercise their First Amendment rights and learn firsthand the lessons of so many in history who stood up for what they believed in, whether the position is popular or not. In this case, it appears to a be a popular (though by no means unanimous) position, at least in our community, but that has not always been the case. And the school’s response has always been the same…be safe, be respectful, be prepared to accept whatever consequences apply.
The majority of those in high school today will. E able to vote in 2020. And as a generation, they have substantial buying power. It is interesting watching the young leaders reminding retailers and politicians that they will remember who supported them now, and who did not.
We are required to keep all of our classroom doors locked at all times as well. TBH, I think that’s a safety measure that most schools do now. Doors CAN be opened from the inside because it would be a violation of fire and safety codes for that NOT to be the case.
I seriously doubt that the poster above has a school where the doors cannot be opened from the inside without a key. Totally violates fire and safety codes.
But locked from the outside…yep? That’s everywhere in my state.
I don’t think that is done in my district and apparently not even in NYC.
https://nypost.com/2018/02/22/nyc-schools-see-rise-in-lockdown-incidents/
“In September, students at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation were locked down when a 15-year-old was stabbed to death. During lockdowns, teachers are expected to lock classroom doors, shut off their lights and close shades or blinds. Students are ordered to hide and keep quiet.”
“ This lock-down protocol is also one that is followed by all New York City schools. We practice this procedure many times during the year. When a lock-down is called, teachers move all children into the corner of the classroom so that they would not be visible when looking through the classroom door window. The teacher knows to turn off the classroom lights, pull-in any children from the hall or bathrooms, and to lock their classroom doors.”
I’m seeing my PT who has two kids in school this afternoon. I will ask her.
I’m interested to hear from other parents on this thread with kids in school regarding if this is standard protocol in their school districts.
Spring break here this week. D said high school students are planning a walkout for the Columbine anniversary in April. (Unfortunately, a few years back our HS received a threat of a shooting on that day. I think they still have extra security on that day.) D does not wish to participate in a walkout–she prefers to stay in class. She thinks students just want to goof off and that a walkout isn’t going to change anything. Also, she feels safer inside the building.
^ your D totally has the right not to participate. One of my nieces walked out yesterday and the other choose not to. I have no issue with that, the student should make his/ her own decision.
Your D has the right to participate or not. Wonders of free speech and choice.
I do think change is happening. Too slowly and too little but at least there’s something happening. Even Florida passed a small bill.
From the American revolution on, it is often the young who are the catalysts for change. Godspeed to them.