Danielle Super came to school late last month after attending a march. She was wearing a “Free the Jena Six” T-shirt. While her mom signed her in, the Smyrna High School [Tennessee] assistant principal told Danielle that she couldn’t wear the shirt on campus because it “could cause a problem.” Danielle changed shirts but now challenges the school’s order. She and her mother have gone to court to ask for an order allowing her to wear the T-shirt to school. What do you think? Would the T-shirt be disruptive on campus, under the Tinker test regarding a disturbance at school or violation of others’ rights? Talk about this and let us know what you think. We will follow Danielle’s case and let you know the outcome. [To review the Tinker test, go to “Why Can’t I Wear What I Want to School?” in Q&A under You and School].
The “Jena Six” refer to six black students in Jena, Louisiana. This began at their school when black students sat under a tree on campus that was traditionally used by white students. Shortly thereafter, nooses were found hanging from the tree. Three white students were suspended for this act and no charges were filed. In December, 2006 a white student was beaten and six black students were arrested and initially charged with attempted murder. Months of racial unrest and protests followed these incidents. By December, 2007 the juveniles had been returned to juvenile court and been adjudicated on lesser charges.
In another incident in September, 2007, 15-year-old sophomore Pete Palmer wore a T-shirt to his Dallas high school indicating his support of presidential candidate John Edwards. School officials told him he couldn’t wear it on campus. With a presidential election coming up in 2008, shouldn’t schools expect students to think about the issues and express their views about them and the candidates? Can schools censor political speech?
