I Take the First Amendment with Pride
By Charles E. Roop
December 11, 2001

In 1776 a country was born with a promise of freedom. One of those freedoms of the United States is the First Amendment. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…"

Freedom of speech and expression to some students and me is almost non-existent. To me, it's starting to look like Italy, which was a fascist nation, looked during World War II, "How so?" you may ask. The stories that are on the news and events that have happened at my school support my belief.
In my opinion, my school severely over-reacted one year in response to an essay written by a friend. The school thought the essay was a threat. My friend maintained it was not.

Or, take the case of a Florida high school student who was suspended for ten days when he posted his opinion on the Internet back in February. Aaron wrote a web page, which contained some foul language that criticized the school. This page was made using his computer at home. Students found the website and used the school's computers to log in and view the page.

A similar event happened at a high school in Missouri a few years ago. Brandon made a web page that criticized the school's website. When he received complaints and removed the page, he was suspended for ten days and failed for the semester. This page caused no disruption to school function. After that, a suit was filed. Later, a U.S. district Court Judge issued a preliminary injunction against the school district saying, "Dislike or being upset by the content of a student's speech is not an acceptable justification of limiting free speech."

Another example is some students who got suspended for wearing makeup that was deemed inappropriate and caused a disruption. They had black makeup around the eyes and not even a lot on the face. The school suspended the girl instead of giving her ISS or Saturday School.
I hear this kind of story and more -- at least once a month in the media: that schools are going too far on punishment. They are punishing us for having different views, for being a danger, but we really aren't.

Not only am I a high school journalist, but also I am a person -- a citizen of the United States. I take the First Amendment with pride, and I believe it should apply to everyone. I think it's time that teachers, staff and administration relax a bit. We have views and opinions and different ways we express ourselves. These people should not attack us every time that we have something else on our minds.

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