Following ACLU Action,N.Cal. High School Students Win 1st Amendment Victor

[Judi Lynn]

Following ACLU Action, Northern California High School Students Win First Amendment Victory

July 14, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [e-mail]

School Agrees to Allow Student Peace Rally to Be Held in the Fall

SAN FRANCISCO -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California announced today that a student group at Deer Valley High School has won the right to hold a peace rally in the fall. The Antioch Unified School District agreed to allow the rally to continue after the ACLU of Northern California intervened on behalf of the students.

Deer Valley High School’s Students for Peace and Justice initially requested permission to hold a peace rally in February and planned to include a folk singer, student speeches, leaflets, banners and information regarding the war in Iraq and other social issues. But the request was rejected by the principal, who expressed concern that the anti-war message was disrespectful of the military and might offend people.

"The California Legislature and the U.S. Supreme Court have recognized that high schools are important forums for free speech and political debate," said Julia Harumi Mass, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California. "As students prepare to participate as full citizens in society, schools should encourage independent thought and dialogue about current events, even controversial ones. School administrators certainly cannot silence students because they disagree with the students’ message, which is what happened here."

With the assistance of the club’s advisor, the students submitted a revised plan for a rally on March 17 and the principal agreed to allow the rally to go forward. However, the principal restricted the students to a rally without the use of the school’s sound system, even though student activities using the system are common at the school, and the U.S. military has used the system to air messages on campus. Then, on the day before the planned rally, the principal withdrew permission for the event altogether. The school also placed the two primary organizers of the rally on two-day on-campus suspensions, starting the day of the planned rally
(snip/...)

http://www.aclu.org/FreeSpeech/FreeSpeech.cfm?ID=18772&c=86

[bluestateguy]

1. Well Michelle Malkin has a whole week of columns to bitch about this

I'm really a bit peeved that it would take lawsuits for this to be allowed.

[Solo_in_MD]

2. This may be a pyhrric victory at best

As I understand it, all demonstrations were banned as was the distributions of non-school related pamphlets. Both have been abolished.

What makes anyone think that there will only be one demonstration? The RW will not let this affront to their control pass unnoticed and there will be multiple demonstrations supporting the war and Bush which will have tactit support from the administrators.

Excuse me if this is too cynical, but I have seen the pattern before

[newyawker99]

3. Hi Solo_in_MD!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[patdem]

4. Well, the pro war rallies draw very few scraglers..freepers must decouch

before they can get to a rally! :hi:

[bluestateguy]

5. You may be right

But we're talking about Antioch, which is pretty solidly Democratic.

From the California SecState site:

http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/sov/2004_general/ssov/pres_general_ssov_all.pdf

Antioch

Bush 12,472 37.3%
Kerry 20,670 61.8%