The Bill of Rights
Amendment 1
Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble . . . .
1 In the United States, freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. There have always been limits to this freedom. No one, for example, has the right to falsely shout “Fire!” in a movie theater. Newspapers do not have the right to print lies about people. These limits to freedom of speech are universally agreed upon and are not considered censorship. Censorship is the suppression or removal of words, images, and ideas because they are thought to be offensive or inappropriate.
2 Many Americans consider censorship in any form to be a violation of the First Amendment. Yet United States' courts continue to rule that for some citizens—students—freedom of speech is limited and that some places—schools—are special settings where the First Amendment is only partially guaranteed. Banned books, restrictive dress codes, and suppressed newspaper articles are all forms of censorship. However, these are everyday occurrences for school students. Censorship in schools violates the rights of United States citizens, limits self-expression, and hinders the ability of students to express their opinions.
3 One of the most common forms of censorship in schools is banned books. Books have been challenged and then banned from schools and libraries for many reasons: profane language, sexual or violent content, and religious or political views. Parents and school districts try to protect children from this type of content through censorship. Since 1982, various groups have sought to remove or restrict access to 11,300 books in our nation's schools and libraries (Crum, 2013). Some of these titles are works of noted literary merit. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was banned for its perceived racism. Beloved by Toni Morrison was banned for violence and sexual content. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger was banned for being immoral and negative. The children's picture book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak was challenged for being dark and disturbing (American Library Association, 2014). Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have fought banning books for a long time by questioning and suing those who try to censor. Its work has helped books like those mentioned above to make their way back into classrooms. Even so, both new and old books are challenged and banned every year. Unfortunately, when books are not allowed in schools and libraries, students are denied the opportunity to learn from them.
4 Not only are students' reading choices sometimes censored, so are their clothing choices. Many schools have a mandatory uniform or a dress code for students. These policies are said to promote safety and discipline. However, they also limit how students can express themselves through their appearance. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the past decade the number of public schools requiring students to wear uniforms has almost doubled, to 19 percent (Abutaleb, 2012). Although some students and parents welcome uniforms and dress codes, others do not. In 2001, a group of students and parents in Texas took a school district to court contending that the school's mandatory uniform policy violated First Amendment rights. The Fifth Circuit Court ruled that the school's policy was constitutional and that students had failed to show that the policy suppressed free expression. In cases involving school dress codes, courts across the country have generally upheld school policies. But some school dress codes seem unnecessarily restrictive. There are dress codes that forbid sandals, flip-flops, fuzzy slippers, boots, leggings, and clothes with the names of sports teams. Whenever a dress code or uniform is enforced, it can be argued that the right of students to express themselves is suppressed.
5 Schools also censor by prohibiting some articles to be printed in student newspapers. Approximately 74 percent of high schools in the United States offer student newspapers or journalism programs (Barron, 2010). Student publications are a safe venue where adolescents can express their opinions. These programs are often run by students and overseen by teachers and other adults at the school. Before articles are printed, they usually go through an editing and review process. Although this is a normal part of the publication process, it can sometimes lead to censorship. There have been many cases where portions of the text or entire articles have been removed from school newspapers for being inappropriate. A famous Supreme Court case involving this issue occurred in 1988 in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. The principal of Hazelwood East High School prohibited two topics from being printed in the school newspaper. Hazelwood East students brought the case to court, arguing that their First Amendment right to free speech had been violated. In this case, the court ruled that the principal did not violate the students' free speech right. The court pointed out that the school newspaper was not a “public forum,” and that, therefore, students did not have the same First Amendment rights as other journalists (Student Press Law Center, 2014). Many people were outraged by this decision and continue to fight censorship in school newspapers.
6 Clearly, despite the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech, censorship still occurs. In public schools, this takes the form of limiting what students can read, wear, and write. While some believe that censorship is justified to protect students from inappropriate material, censoring limits students' ability to learn and to share ideas. It is ironic that while students are learning about the freedoms they have as Americans, they are simultaneously being denied those very freedoms.
Which evidence from paragraph 4 best supports the idea that many schools have mandatory uniforms for students?
A)“The Fifth Circuit Court ruled that the school's policy was constitutional and that students had failed to show that the policy suppressed free expression.”
B)“In cases involving school dress codes, courts across the country have generally upheld school policies.”
C)“According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the past decade the number of public schools requiring students to wear uniforms has almost doubled, to 19 percent.”
D)“In 2001, a group of students and parents in Texas took a school district to court contending that the school's mandatory uniform policy violated First Amendment rights.”