No School Should Usurp the Rights of Any Student
Children are forced to go to school. This has been the way for a long time. School is a place where students go to learn a curriculum given by government officials. They are not there to get their rights taken away from them. Although teachers have power, they cannot stop students from hearing the issues, speaking without censorship, or knowing their rights.
Students are living, breathing human beings. We go to school to learn about and succeed in the outside world. Government officials are to teach us these things and see how well we learn them. We are curious creatures. We need to know everything or else we will rebel. Teachers should tell us both parts of a certain subject to allow objectivity in our minds. If we hear only one side of a controversial issue we tend to assert ourselves with the only point of view. We may also find out information on our own that is bad and believe what we find out. Teachers are here to guide us to the correct information. If a teacher takes a side he/she may tell us only the negative points to his opposing side. He/she may, also, just tell us good points about his side. Either way, he/she gives us a one sided perception. We need to hear both sides in order to make up our own minds.
Many believe that teachers have more power than students. This is a weak argument because teachers cannot remove rights of students. The Supreme Court stated this:
“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the school house gate” (Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District). Therefore, students are just as powerful as teachers. Teachers want to discipline their students how and when they choose. This is a major dispute among parents, teachers, and students. A teacher may not ever hit a student purposely. A teacher may lower our grade for not doing work or failing class criteria. They may not lower our grade just because they don’t like us or we act slightly out of hand. Many people say that students don’t know what is best for them. This is may be true at lower elementary, but in high school, students can speak for themselves and know what they need. In some court cases or public meetings, teachers or the school bo...
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...rookfield: Millbrook,1997.
“Student Government”. World Book: Millennium 2000. 2000ed.
“Student Rights”. Natural Math. 21 Jan. 2002
Chris’ article is considered a normative argument due to the fact that it is primarily focused around political as well as ethical matters. Because his argument is considered normative, it must have a warrant. According to Richard A. Quantz, “a warrant is a rule or principle that connects the rest of the premises to the claim” (Quantz, 2012, p.4). The warrant present in this article is that teachers should teach students information that prepares them for the future. While the claim supports the political aspect of a normative argument, the warrant supports the ethical aspect of a normative argument. The claim can be seen as political because it addresses the struggle for power. Likewise, the warrant can be seen as ethical because it addresses what is morally right. To be fair to children, teachers need to provide them with knowledge that will allow them prosper. Although his argument is labeled as normative, Chris Hedges uses a couple of kinds of other premises in order to strengthen and better support his argument. He includes empirical, and conceptual premises.
“Marvin L.Pickering, a high school science teacher in Illinois wrote a letter published in a newspaper denouncing the board of education's choice of allocating of funding between athletics and academics, he also criticized the superintendent who did not inform the local taxpayers why they were actually paying more for the school. After posting the letter, the high school teacher was fired because the board claimed that he delivered false information that could affect the efficiency of the school administration, it damage the reputation of the board of education and of its superintendent and that it could possibly encourage “controversy, conflict, and dissension” between the school staff "Detrimental to the best interests of the schools"(Findlaw.com, I) . Pickering decided to sue the school for violating his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights to free speech and of equal protection because he claimed that he has the right to free speech and is allowed the same rights as everybody else.“
In December 1965, an issue was caused by teachers’ in violating students’ freedom of speech. In December some students from Des Moines Independent Community School District, in Iowa were suspended for wearing black armbands to protest against the American Government’s war policy in support Vietnam (Richard, Clayton, and Patrick).The school district pressed a complaint about it, although the students caused no harm to anyone. Students should be able to voice their opinions without the consequences of the school district.
Schools have become more interested in limiting students rights because cyber bullying is becoming a huge problem these days .School officials and administrators are responsible to protect their student body and maintain a safe environment. They want to make sure their students are safe and happy at school and off -grounds.They want to limit online speech so they can protect students and teachers who get cyber bullied online.
Which include danger to the school or any of the students and this should be the only way teachers and schools can restrict students’ rights. but schools tend to go too far restricting students’ rights “The principal had ordered the stories removed from the paper because he believed the story about teen pregnancy was inappropriate for some of the younger students at the school, based on its discussion of sexual activity and birth control”(What are the free expression rights of students in public schools under the First Amendment?) a student though that this was appropriate for the school to read and it was but the officials at the school did not think the same way. also another case Bazaar v. Fortune officials tried to stop publication of a book just because it had a few words in it that they did not like.(The First Amendment and Public Schools) this is taking there restrictions just too far. The government should be able to set guidelines of what the immediate danger is and what kind of expression goes way too far and have it sent out to all the schools in the United States. This might help schools from restricting our
Schools have more rights than the government to affect and restrict the 1st amendment and freedom of speech.
Equally important, students and teachers are protected by the First Amendment, regardless of when they are at school or not. It is written in the Constitution that people have the f...
Censorship in schools can protect children and eliminate problems, but it can also cause many other problems. For one thing, it sometimes violates the First Amendment. The First Amendment states that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (Taylor 15). These rights are guaranteed to all American citizens, and that includes schoolchildren as well. According to the Constitution, the government cannot take away these basic rights. Public schools are government funded, so they must be sure not to infringe on student’s rights or there could be a lawsuit on their hands. In addition to legal consequences, school is about learning and ...
Education supports everyone getting opportunities in life and being able to choose better for themselves. As Horace Mann wrote, education is the “great equalizer for all.“ However, the United States Public School system will likely never be able to equally educate its masses of students. Public school educating all fairly is a myth.There is no one entity to blame for this failure. The failure lies with each student who has been conditioned to sit passively in an un-engaging classroom. Its failure lies in some students disrespectfully distracting their classmates and frustrating their once inspired teacher or administrator. The failure lies with administration being distracted with causes of the moment and burns out from knowing that all
One of the main court cases that have dealt with teachers’ first amendment rights is the case of Evans-Marshall v. Board of Education of Tipp City Exempted Village School District. This case first began in Ohio, when English teacher Shelley Evans-Marshall asked her class to select a book off of the list “One Hundred Most Frequently Challenged Books”(Lampe, 2010). The students were then asked to debate in class why they believed that the book had been challenged by other school districts. After this assignment was given, several parents “complained about the curricular choices”(Lampe, 2010: pg.1). Eventually a petition was signed by over 500 parents of the school, saying they wanted “decency and excellence” in the classroom. With this, the school board unanimously voted to terminate Evans-Marshall’s contract. Evans-Marshall filed against the school board saying that they interfered with her First Amendment rights (Lampe, 2010: Pg.1).
I am part of a special category of the human race. Not quite a member of the “real world,” too old for toys and too young to vote. I am, as you may have guessed, a minority. What separates me from the rest of the categories the people on earth? The Constitution, generally speaking, applies to everyone equally, regardless of race, religion, age, or any other factor you could think of. However, minors can have their rights suppressed in ways that many adult’s rights may not be. The most common violations of these rights are in the rights of students, that is, children attending school. The rights of free speech, free association, and freedom from unwarranted search and seizure have been heated disagreements between school administrators and students,
Which is why school districts will lose most of their cases against students about dress codes. Most of the students expressions are political and religious speech, with are protected by the constitution (Kelly). Schools are being uncons...
school goes against the First Amendment, whether it's in the classroom, over the loud speaker, or
Academic freedom should be a liberty granted to students and teachers of all ages. “Research in cognitive, developmental and educational psychology shows that learning and development are active self-regulated processes that require the freedom to seek information, to formulate and express your own ideas, and to engage in discussion. Intellectual freedom is crucial to intellectual development from kindergarten to college” (Moshman). Many teachers that are tenured into a university of school district can say and do just about anything they want, whereas a teacher that has been apart of an institution for five years will be removed from the school for something the tenured colleague would not even be questioned about. In high schools the administration is so worried about parents complaints and how it will effect their reputation as a school that they let it affect the education that their students are receiving. Allowing grade school students the ability to be apart of the process building their schedule and education would be a step in the right direction. At this age students want to be more independent and are willing to experience all types of classes and learning types. When a student gets to college they are expected to have some kind of a major picked out. If the
In America everyone has the right to a free public education. States set standards for schools in an attempt at ensuring all students get the same quality education. No matter how many standards are set, students will not have equal schooling. Schooling is larger then the lessons taught in the classroom. Each student’s school experience is different, not only because of the quality of their education but because of things like school location, demographic, teachers, participation, and other person experiences. My school experience has helped define me as a person and has helped guide me through life.