The First Amendment And Freedom Of Speech In Schools

The First Amendment gives the citizens of the United States their most important rights: the right to freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, and the freedom of assembly. Over time these rights have worked themselves into the everyday lives of United States citizens. However, there are still places where our First Amendment rights may be compromised. In the school system, finding a balance of respect and freedom of speech and press is as difficult as learning out to tightrope walk. One wrong step and you could be compromising the learning environment of the entire student body. Cases that involve the First Amendment in school systems have always been around but the issue of finding a balance with these freedoms is†¦show more content†¦This means that private employers and friends could violate things written in the First Amendment which has created many disagreements. I would like to take this time to point out that the public school system and the state or local government systems go together like peanut butter and jelly. They are interconnected with each other, giving the school system the responsibility of giving the students their First Amendment Rights. Over time the Supreme Court has decided that certain aspects of freedom of speech are more important than others. For example, if someone used their First Amendment rights to lie about things they knew were false, threatened to commit a crime, insult another person, or used overly explicit content, the courts have moral grounds to prosecute those persons. It makes sense that if someone’s freedom of speech lessened another person’s right to freedom of religion or freedom of opinion by instilling fear, that is an unfair use of the First Amendment. These parameters, although not specifically outlined in the Bill of Rights are very important to protect everyone’s right to feel safe believing the things that they do. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier was a lost fight for the First Amendment rights in schools. When a couple of school journalists’ articles were blocked by the principal of Hazelwood East High School, the students decided that they needed to take their case to the courts. One of the articles was a story aboutShow MoreRelatedThe First Amendment Of The United States Constitution915 Words   |  4 Pagesor 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. These 45 words of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution embody some of our most important ideas about the meaning of liberty. 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