Should Schools Be Allowed to Limit Students’ Online Speech? Unit 3 DBQ Should Schools Be Allowed to  Limit Students’ Online Speech?

The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech...” Yet the Supreme Court has held that free speech does have limits. Today, cell phones with built-in cameras, email, and social networking sites have changed not only how we express ourselves but also how our speech reaches and affects other people. How can  government agencies, like public schools, decide when speech in these new formats can be limited?  Directions: Read each of the cases below. Decide if the speech described should be allowed or limited (punished). Write the case number on the side of the line where you think it belongs. After you have done this, think about where you have you drawn the line. How is the speech you said should  be allowed different from the speech you think should be limited? 

The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech...” Yet the Supreme Court has held that free speech does have limits.  Case 1: In 2010, a tenth-grader was ticked off because his biology teacher assigned a ton of homework. He went home and posted a status update on Facebook. He called his teacher two obscene names. He also said the “fat” teacher should “stop eating fast food.”

The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech...” Yet the Supreme Court has held that free speech does have limits.  Case 2: Six middle school students created a special Facebook event. It made threatening remarks to teachers and was called “Attack-a- School Day.” They invited other students to take part. 

The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech...” Yet the Supreme Court has held that free speech does have limits.  Case 3: In 2008, a middle school student posted an insulting video on YouTube. It showed the stu- dent and friends making fun of a girl at their school. The conversation was cruel and mocking. The girl they were talking about found out about the video. She was so upset that she had to leave class. 

The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law The 1st Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech...” Yet the Supreme Court has held that free speech does have limits.  Case 4: In 2006, a student posted negative comments on Twitter about his school. He called the teachers and administrators racists. He said the school was rundown and did not provide enough resources for students to get a good education.