Free Speech and School Safety Assignment
The case of Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., in which a high school cheerleader posted a profanity-laced message on Snapchat criticizing her school and cheerleading coaches, was just decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. She was removed from the cheerleading squad by the school for a year after breaking a rule that forbade “disrespectful” behavior. In the end, the Supreme Court decided in the student’s favor, declaring that the First Amendment protected her expression. Free Speech and School Safety Assignment
The Supreme Court’s position was that while colleges may control speech that takes place on campus or at events hosted by the institution, they cannot control speech that happens off campus that does not significantly disturb the learning environment. The Court also stressed the significance of upholding students’ rights to free speech (Beherent, 2019), acknowledging that youth often serve as change agents and have a fresh viewpoint.
ORDER HERE A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
In this instance, I concur with the decision. Even if a student expresses an opinion that is critical or contentious, it is crucial to uphold their right to free speech. Particularly when doing so off-campus and without significantly disrupting the learning environment, students should be able to voice their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation (Kim & Leach, 2020). The Court’s ruling also acknowledges how communication has changed in the digital era. It would be unfair to restrict young people’s capacity to express themselves in this way given how crucial social media platforms like Snapchat and others have become to how they communicate (Hudson, 2020). Free Speech and School Safety Assignment
The Court’s ruling in Mahanoy is also consistent with the theories and studies we have covered this week. We now know that a variety of speech, including political and unpopular speech, is protected by the First Amendment. Furthermore, the Court’s appreciation of the
distinctive viewpoint of youth underscores the significance of diversity and inclusion in building a strong democracy.
In summary, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., which recognized the value of various points of view and the evolving nature of communication in the digital age, protects students’ free expression rights. Free Speech and School Safety Assignment
References
Behrent, M. C. (2019). A tale of two arguments about free speech on campus. Academe, 105(1), 31-36.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26606309?casa_token=DV25rAVJ9p0AAAAA:-URKUIr2F3-G2MmMjb0w91ixvR0EgCavc7TMqNEiRRUVGYQAPpAg8neENFjDdb0sWAGE0SOqS3C070jZTygMX-2bDUtc4GkoWO5vH7PPwEKFNoBpNZhV
Hudson Jr, D. L. (2020). Mahanoy Area School District v. BL: The Court Protects Student Social Media but Leaves Unanswered Questions. Cato Sup. Ct. Rev., 93.
https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/catoscrev20§ion=9
Kim, H., & Leach, R. (2020). The role of digitally-enabled employee voice in fostering positive change and affective commitment in centralized organizations. Communication Monographs, 87(4), 425-444.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03637751.2020.1745859?casa_token=sPrAvfYLQHgAAAAA:YAyE0kKTTtGmNYC6_Q6AXYIHJ_LA7W3rYdKwN2aPRk2RYbvfkBXCy1P5bRj3YadGdww1EmNUE_u0Uovv Free Speech and School Safety Assignment