SPLC's Adam Goldstein discusses the First Amendment and threats on free speech in K-12 schools and college campuses with Baylor University President Ken Starr.
A federal appeals court sided with the University of Hawaii's dismissal of a student who made unprofessional comments that the university believed rendered him unfit to enter the teaching profession. The ruling appears to lower the bar for the protection of students' speech when enrolled in a pre-professional program, enabling colleges to remove those students even without showing that their speech was unlawful or disruptive.
The bill, which Rep. Alex Looysen, a Republican, introduced on Jan. 19, would enhance students’ freedom of expression in school-sponsored media, preventing schools from citing the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier precedent. The bill would protect students in both public K-12 schools and colleges.