STUDENTS' RIGHTS of EXPRESSION
A WebQuest
Roger Dennis
High School for Excellence
INTRODUCTION:
WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE AS A STUDENT? WHAT RIGHTS SHOULD YOU HAVE?
One day William, one of your
classmates, comes into school wearing a shirt that looks like an American
flag. The following day he wears a shirt
with words proclaiming 'Proud to be American'.
Other than a couple of comments like 'YES!' and 'great shirt' nothing
much happens.
Except that Sarah gets inspired. 'I think I'll bring some real learning into
the school,' she says to no one in particular.
On Monday Sarah comes into school wearing a shirt which loudly proclaims
'
(Unless she attends the School for Excellence, in
which case a couple comments may have been like these, but most of the teachers
would respond with "great!' Fabulous! 'Wait till Phil hears about this -
he'll be ecstatic!' and "I think I'll wear my 'The government lies, the
media lies, schools lie, young people die' T-shirt tomorrow. 'Yeah, and I'll wear my 'Don't blindly accept
what the President says. You know politicians lie' shirt. And I'll wear my 'Peace' shirt. Etc. etc.)
Anyway, the building principal gets word of
Sarah's shirt and tells Mr. Fuller to accompany the young lady downstairs to
his office. Her parents are called and
she is suspended. She has been accused
of behavior that is 'disruptive to the learning process' because the students
are discussing the war instead of doing their schoolwork.
TASK:
The task will be threefold:
I. Build
a foundation of understanding how the Supreme Court has ruled on other cases
involving students’ rights of expression.
II. As
individuals each of you will write an (approximately 500 word) essay answering
the following questions: Did the principal have the legal right to suspend
Sarah? Do students have the legal right
to express their viewpoints? Why were William's political positions allowed and Sarah's
frowned upon? What is the stated
purpose(s) of education? Is it possible
there is another purpose - if so, what might that be?
In
making your argument, refer to at least one of the two cases (Tinker v. Des
Moines, Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier).
III. Finally,
as a class we will work together to develop a position paper on these five
questions, created from the majority opinions among your essays, but honoring
minority opinions as well. Be prepared
to discuss and support your positions on these cases as well as any personal
experiences or anecdotal knowledge you may possess.
PROCESS:
Follow the hyperlinks below, in correct order, to
complete Part I:
For Tinker v.
The Visual of
the Case (part 1)
The Visual of
the Case (part 2)
Form a Question
to Check Your Understanding
Give Your
Opinion and the Reasoning Behind It
Read the
Supreme Court’s Decision
For Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier:
Form a Question
to Check Your Understanding
Give your
Opinion and the Reasoning Behind It
Read the Supreme
Court Decision
RESOURCES:
Go to the following to learn about these cases in
more detail:
EVALUATION:
An “A” paper meets all of the criteria mentioned
above, and it is superior and/or exceptionally engaging. In addition the paper may draw upon any
number of factors: maturity of style, effectiveness of argument, use of
literary and/or rhetorical devices, depth of discussion, sophistication of wit
or quality of imagination.
A “B” paper is clearly adequate. The prose is able to convey the writer’s
ideas, but without flair or strong control.
Diction and syntax are usually appropriate, but lack variety. The reader
has a clear sense of the writer’s purpose, but is not engaged by the prose.
A “C” paper is barely adequate. The paper features underdeveloped paragraphs. Transition may be weak or absent. Although the reader may be aware of some purpose, errors impede the fluency of the paper.
An unacceptable paper or a “U” paper is
compromised by its brevity and it deficiency of composition, content, diction,
syntax, structure, voice and conventions of language as to render its
meaning/purpose almost unintelligible.
STANDARDS:
The following New York State Standards will be used:
Social Studies, Standard 5:1, 5:3, 5:4 http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/socstands/socstand.html
English Language Arts, Standard 1http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elastandards/elamap.html
CONCLUSION:
Having
completed this WebQuest, you now have a greater understanding of the
complexities surrounding freedom of expression for students. You now see that there may be a conflict of
interest between the goals of education as seen by the government, parents, and
students. Do you, a public school
student in 2003, feel you have complete freedom of expression? If not, what
courses of action may be open to you? Do
you feel that the educational system addresses the needs and wants of young
people, or is there another possible agenda at work? These are questions we will explore in the
future.