Students' Right to Free Expression

The American student’s right to free expression is very limited in comparison with that freedom guaranteed to Americans as citizens. This is quite surprising considering that students are expected to learn the freedoms guaranteed in America, and yet cannot enjoy them. It is surprising that students would be stunted as a whole in this fashion, considering students are expected to grow into mature adults. Lastly, it is surprising that students as a group are marginalized in this way, considering they are just as much citizens of the United States as anyone else.

In discussing the issue of licensing, John Milton’s Areopagitica explains that the limiting of people’s free expression can lead to the discouragement of learning (Kozlowski, “Our English Heritage Part II). Not only does the ability to express oneself help shape beliefs and values, it assists in providing a better education. Free expression encourages an inquisitive nature, and therefore encourages more answers. It makes no sense that one of the main reasons given for the right to freedom of expression is the ability to learn and otherwise achieve fulfillment, however those in the process of attaining an education do not wholly possess this right.

Students are citizens, too. Although students are in a submissive position, these limitations send the message that students are not as much a citizen as a non-student. Schools often use the fear of drugs or other dangers to justify the absence of certain freedoms in school, however students do not “shed their constitutional right to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate” (https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/your-right-free-expression). This was the case in Morse v. Frederick, when Joseph Frederick held a sign reading, “Bong hits 4 Jesus.” Although Frederick had not been to school and although he was across the street, his limited rights as a student resulted in his suspension being ruled constitutional. The Court based this decision on the fact that his sign encouraged drug use (http://www.jstor.org/stable/20533070). Students came a long way after Tinker v. Des Moines, but backtracked in the face of Morse v. Frederick. In order to facilitate a productive educational environment and give students an appreciation for their citizenship, students should have a more comprehensive right to freedom of expression. This right can be intimidating at times, and children should have the ability to acquire better use of it earlier on.