Street Law, Inc. and The Supreme Court Historical Society present

Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court

Street Law /

You Decide: Were Students' Rights Violated?

  1. Read each situation. Use information from the excerpt of the majority opinion to help you complete the chart.
  2. Answer the question: "Were students' rights violated?" by placing an "X" in the appropriate space.
  3. Provide a brief explanation for your answer.

Were the students' rights violated? Explanation
Situation Yes No
The school's TV station covers an article on the new policy that requires that students wear IDs. In the article, many of the students are critical of the policy. The advisor reviews the show and finds that there are many factual errors regarding the policy. He tells the students that if they want the article to air, they must revise it.
The drama club wants to perform a play. Because it involves some sexually explicit scenes, they say they will perform it off-campus at a local recreation center. The principal says this is not allowed and they must select another play.
A student works at home to create a Web site that contains comments that are critical of his teachers. The principal sends him to in-school suspension for two days and makes him write a letter of apology to each of his teachers.
The student newspaper publishes an article about a shoplifting incident that occurred during a school-sponsored field trip. The school board censors the article, saying it makes the school system look bad.
The art club plans a showcase night. One of the students has painted a picture of other students drinking alcohol at a school football game. The art teacher says this painting can not be displayed at the school's showcase night because it seems to advocate the use of alcohol.
The newspaper staff writes an editorial in support of legalizing marijuana. Their advisor tells them that if they want it to be printed, they must present both sides of the issue.
Students on the newspaper staff create an online version of the school's newspaper. In it, they provide advice on where to get birth control. The principal tells the staff to delete the article because its contents are not appropriate for the younger students in the school.
The Student Government Association wants to hold a rally in support of abortion rights in the school's auditorium. Their advisor tells them they can not do this.

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