Is "free speech" really free?

You may have heard about the 5th grader from Colorado who was suspended from school for wearing an anti-Obama T-shirt. The handwritten slogan on the shirt read, "Obama...a terrorist's best friend." The school's action has the student intending to sue the school for infringement on his First Amendement rights. The school responded, saying that they have an obligation to maintain a learning environment that is free from distraction.

So, what do you think? Does the student have a case? Or, is the school right in suspending the student, in order to maintain a distraction-free learning environment? (Attempt to answer these questions apart from your particular leanings for/against Obama.)

Comments

[chris corwin]

schools have always allowed distractions -- if they suspended everyone who makes a distraction they'd have few students at the end of a week.

just bing in school with girls is distracting enough.

schools have always enforced such vague rules arbitrarily -- usually in order to prohibit things most people think is evil, like drugs or doing it.

and rightly so.

i know from growing up with two educators that teachers and administrators make such decisions based on many many things, and some students are just ITCHIN to get kicked out.

perhaps this is such a student and this was finally their chance?

if so: good. students who ruin school for everyone else should be sent elsewhere.

if this was ONLY about a political t-shirt (this i highly doubt) then BAD.

if only one thing ought to be preserved in our school syste...

no

encouraged

if only one thing ought to be ENCOURAGED in our school systems, its political involvement and political speech.

and, lets face it: a t-shirt is NOT likely to be a distraction, unless the kid makes it so.

a teacher worth their salt could toss out the syllabus for a day and turn any such distraction into a good day's lesson -- probably the best of the year.

i don't trust the media to give us all the facts in such cases.

they sure never played fair with my dad's decisions on such matters at plainfield.

[Greg]

I know there a lot of other things worn. South Park, Marilyn Manson, and other t-shirts. You never hear of any of these students being expelled. I have mixed emotions about this. Is the 5th grader really passionate about the upcoming election that he believes the saying on his shirt to be true? Did the parents give him the t-shirt? I believe there were probably some teachers offended. I know in school they have to call the parent to get approval to provide an asprin but yet they can drive a teen-age girl to Planned Parenthood to get an abortion, so go figure.

[andy]

first of all, what a dumb t-shirt. it was supposed to be a day to wear something patriotic at the school, and this kids parents gave him that rag to wear? idiots.

second, the school forced him to either change the shirt, turn it inside out, or be suspended? it was not vulgar, it was simply a dumb opinion. also idiots.

3rd, the kid is a minor, and in my opinion does not have freedom of speech. even though this was not speech. really it's libel.

both parties need counceling.

[Greg]

What if he would have brought a bible to school. Still too young for freedom of speech? I know that is not the case. How about all the teachers across the country pushing for liberalism? They bring it up in their class talking about how bad the government is. A lot of colleges have this going on also.

[andy]

carrying a bible is not speech

[Greg]

I understand what you are saying, Andy. I don't think my sons would have worn a shirt like that when they were in 5th grade. They know how I feel politically but I wouldn't get a shirt like that for them. I support an organization that is pro-life called abort73.com. We have many t-shirts with their sayings on them. Would that be considered radical to wear at school. For all we know they do have a dress code that does not allow clothing with dirogatory remarks.

[Melinda]

I simply side with the school. I agree with Andy's post, except for his angle on the action taken by the school. They did give the boy options other than suspension.

One of our town's schools asked the following in a newsletter, "Sometimes a student’s dress may be questionable and
therefore requires the office to help that student dress appropriately
until a parent can arrive. With this task, the office is in need
of shirts and sweatpants of all sizes. If you should be cleaning
out your closet please keep us in mind!" Questionable is outlined in our handbook, and items with wording that might be offensive to others is included.

I don't understand parents who fight so hard against schools that try to do so much for our kids. Again, the kid was given a few options other than suspension. I guess he and his parents decided to be what I consider difficult and fight for something the handbook probably showed was wrong. What is to be won by this?? ... I admire and respect all my children's teachers. They try their best to make OUR kids better people. This is a battle that has no true winners. And the school corp/teachers are put in a spot they don't deserve.

[Abby]

It was a racist T-shirt- it should NOT be allowed at school. Here's another example of racism at the college I went to...very sad....this can NOT be tolerated. It has nothing to do with the election. It has to do with a black man running for president.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jO2TekxmnlYcTAV8c4kutiU5Vg_g

[Greg]

That is good but the sad thing is that not every school is like that. In my home town there have been problems with certain issues but other things get ignored. I'm not too crazy about the public school system but the child did wear something negative to school.

[andy]

Abby, saying "obama ... a terrorist's best friend" is no more racist than "obama...a Marxist", or "obama... he's really santa claus". Now, that kid and his parents may be racists, but the slogan on that t-shirt itself is not.

But, if it was, then I can see censoring it in school.

[Abby]

I don't get how it isn't racist. Why are they saying he is a terrorist's best friend?

[John]

Abby, I would venture to suggest that the point of the T-shirt's message is that Obama's philosphical approach to dealing with terrorists is much more generous than McCain's. He has suggested that the way to deal with terrorists is through diplomacy. McCain comes from more of a Teddy Roosevelt, "carry a big stick", school of thought where dealing with terrorists is concerned. The idea is that the terrorists would prefer a liberal Democrat like Obama because when push comes to shove, he will go easier on them than someone like McCain would--thus, the idea of the "best friend". (It was this same idea that Osama bin Laden intimated when he sent his October surprise video virtually endorsing John Kerry the week before the '04 presidential campaign. And many have suggested that it contributed to Kerry's defeat in that election.)

[chris corwin]

"And many have suggested that it contributed to Kerry's defeat in that election."

i would say more admit that kerry's defeat had way more to do with rigged diebold voting machines than a "surprise" video from a known terrorist who used to be on the repulicans' payroll.

[John]

Chris, I didn't say Osama bid Laden's tape was the primary reason Kerry lost. I said it "contributed" to his defeat--as did a number of other factors.

Regardless of the reasons, I would be interested to know where you got your information that there was conspiracy to rig voting machines in the '04 election? Is that based on the evidence or personal opinion? I don't remember hearing about anyone being convicted of such actions, which I assume would have made the news since it would be a federal offense to tamper with voting machines in a national election.