Student suspended for vulgar language on bumper sticker on car parked in school lot.
The Walla-Walla Union Bulletin reports
The suspension of a Walla Walla High School junior over crude bumper stickers has drawn the attention of the National Coalition Against Censorship.
In a letter to Walla Walla Public Schools Superintendent Richard Carter and Walla Walla High School Principal Darcy Weisner sent Dec. 3, the agency strongly disagrees with the school's decision to suspend the student after failing to remove a bumper sticker from her car.
The girl and her family contacted the agency soon after the suspension.
The student apparently had two bumper stickers with profane words on them. One sticker drew the coalition's response. The phrase on that sticker is similar to the title of a 1990s rap song, "Boom! I Got Your Boyfriend" by M.C. Luscious. The naughty version replaces "got" with an expletive, and was covered by rapper Da Brat in 2003.
The coalition notes Walla Walla School Board policy prevents students from using or displaying offensive or vulgar language that may disrupt the educational process, either in class or in assemblies. But the coalition believes the student's rights were challenged because the questionable sticker never left a school parking lot.
The issue of students' rights to free speech was argued in a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision that is mentioned in the letter.
The coalition goes on to point out the guidelines for removing the bumper sticker because it was displayed in a school parking lot would also apply to the general public attending school-sponsored events.
"Taken as a whole, these actions reveal a gross disregard for the constitutional values that underlie public education," wrote Joan Bertin, executive director of the coalition, in the letter.
"While the school has considerable authority to control what can and cannot be said in classrooms and school assemblies ... its authority is not without limits," Bertin noted.
The coalition is asking the district to reconsider the suspension, repeal it, and remove it from the student's record.
In its defense, the district issued a statement explaining why the language on the stickers was unacceptable, prompting their removal and the student's suspension.
"The bumper stickers contained the 'f' word and this language is not acceptable in print or speech on school grounds," Deputy Superintendent Bill Jordan said. "The decision to have the bumper stickers removed from campus was made to maintain a safe and civil school environment. Our legal counsel is preparing a letter in response to the National Coalition Against Censorship defending our decision."
ON THE NET
To read the coalition's letter and the School District's response, go to blogs.ublabs.org/schoolhousemissives/
The Walla-Walla Union Bulletin reports
The suspension of a Walla Walla High School junior over crude bumper stickers has drawn the attention of the National Coalition Against Censorship.
In a letter to Walla Walla Public Schools Superintendent Richard Carter and Walla Walla High School Principal Darcy Weisner sent Dec. 3, the agency strongly disagrees with the school's decision to suspend the student after failing to remove a bumper sticker from her car.
The girl and her family contacted the agency soon after the suspension.
The student apparently had two bumper stickers with profane words on them. One sticker drew the coalition's response. The phrase on that sticker is similar to the title of a 1990s rap song, "Boom! I Got Your Boyfriend" by M.C. Luscious. The naughty version replaces "got" with an expletive, and was covered by rapper Da Brat in 2003.
The coalition notes Walla Walla School Board policy prevents students from using or displaying offensive or vulgar language that may disrupt the educational process, either in class or in assemblies. But the coalition believes the student's rights were challenged because the questionable sticker never left a school parking lot.
The issue of students' rights to free speech was argued in a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision that is mentioned in the letter.
The coalition goes on to point out the guidelines for removing the bumper sticker because it was displayed in a school parking lot would also apply to the general public attending school-sponsored events.
"Taken as a whole, these actions reveal a gross disregard for the constitutional values that underlie public education," wrote Joan Bertin, executive director of the coalition, in the letter.
"While the school has considerable authority to control what can and cannot be said in classrooms and school assemblies ... its authority is not without limits," Bertin noted.
The coalition is asking the district to reconsider the suspension, repeal it, and remove it from the student's record.
In its defense, the district issued a statement explaining why the language on the stickers was unacceptable, prompting their removal and the student's suspension.
"The bumper stickers contained the 'f' word and this language is not acceptable in print or speech on school grounds," Deputy Superintendent Bill Jordan said. "The decision to have the bumper stickers removed from campus was made to maintain a safe and civil school environment. Our legal counsel is preparing a letter in response to the National Coalition Against Censorship defending our decision."
ON THE NET
To read the coalition's letter and the School District's response, go to blogs.ublabs.org/schoolhousemissives/
Thanks to Joanthan turley
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