Case Summary
The Supreme Court decided that an ex-online cheerleader’s profanities against the school are First Amendment-protected speech, a triumph for student rights to free speech. This resulted from a string of expletives posted on Snap in 2017 by Brandi Levy, a cheerleader at the age of 14, who was unsuccessful in getting her Pennsylvania College’s college team cheerleading squad (Totenberg, 2021).
The Court also ruled that school officials could penalize student speech that occurs off college or online if it interferes with academic work. However, the Court concluded that in this case, a few expletives uploaded online outside the school premises did not meet the criteria for being disruptive. Therefore, this essay will discuss personal opinion concerning the court decision and why the school still finds the ruling a win despite ruling in favor of students.
Evaluation of the Court’s Decision
The Court made the right decision concerning the student’s right to speech. This is because the Court determined that although schools have a legitimate right to regulate student speech to safeguard the learning atmosphere, this interest does not only apply to speech within the school. The Court pointed out that in some situations, including when the speech significantly disrupts the learning environment, colleges may have some ability to control off-campus speech.
School Perspective on the Ruling
The school still finds the Court’s ruling a win since they are granted the opportunity to control speech outside the campus. The school contends that the Court’s decision left the option for educational institutions to control particular forms of off-college speech that might harm the learning setting.
Determining the Limits of Protected Student Speech
The Court’s opinion needs to address the complex issue regarding where to draw the line between protected and unprotected expression. The Court did suggest that schools might be permitted to control off-campus speech connected to school programs or that could seriously disturb the learning environment. In my opinion, the line should be drawn where the schools must balance protecting students’ First Amendment freedom of speech and ensuring a secure and effective teaching atmosphere.
Reference
Totenberg, N. (2021). Supreme Court rules cheerleader’s f-bombs are protected by the 1st amendment. NPR.org. Web.