I was reading an article online tonight that made be cringe a bit. Apparently a student authored an email or some other posting wherein she expressed her displeasure about a decision made by her administrators on a project. The administrators ultimately stripped her of her position as school secretary -- and forbade her to include her name on the ballot for the next school year. The student was ultimately elected as a "write-in" candidate, but administrators forbade her from accepting office.
The Burlington School district lauds the Judges ruling as this case has been going on for the last two years.
The question of whether or not the student authored the posting on campus or not -- was summarily dismissed by the Judge because of today's technology that can immediately notify people when postings are made. (huh?)
Whether the student had any merit to her "douche bag" comment or not -- doesn't make any difference. The right to free speech is not singled out whether or not it was a right of popular opinion or not. In fact, our freedom of speech protects us to say as we want, what we want, however we want -- regardless of its popularity, its vulgarity or its content.
If the opinion was housed on school servers, websites, boards and the like -- then administrators are within their right to remove such postings that are inviolate of the terms and use agreement. But if the student did it from home -- then the school appears to be in violation of her 1st amendment constitutional rights.
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