The Schools Are Destroying Freedom of Speech

The Schools Are Destroying Freedom of Speech

“The Constitution makes clear there can be no religious test for holding office, and it is just as clear there can be no religious test for individual expression of free speech—or censorship thereof, including at a high school graduation.”—Nat Hentoff, author and journalist.  John W. Whitehead expands on this and shows what’s wrong with our school systems today.  He begins by saying how students today know very little about their own freedoms and rights.  How are these students going to be the hope of freedom and democracy if they don’t even know what their freedoms are?

 Whitehead goes on to say that schools are reluctant to apply such rights as the First Amendment in the schools.  For the few amount of students that do know their rights are forced to deal with school officials who, more often than not, fail to respect those rights.  The courts are supposed to be the guardians of freedom, but are increasingly upholding acts of censorship by government officials.  John Whitehead says, as a result of this, the horrific lesson being taught to our young people is that the government has absolute power over its citizens and young people have very limited freedom.  What’s the point of having freedoms if we aren’t able to exercise them because of our government?

He also tells two stories of two students who were graduating top of their class and got cut off during their speeches in the graduation ceremonies.  Each student decided to say what they wanted to say but the officials of the schools unplugged the microphone in the middle of their speeches.  If things don’t change young people will eventually give up and get the idea that they have no say in what goes on and everything is decided by the government.  Whitehead wraps up by saying, unless we want free speech to end up in a totalitarian graveyard, no one, no matter their viewpoint or ideology should be censored in any state institution.