The Answer Sheet: first amendment


Posted at 09:22 AM ET, 10/31/2010

A real Halloween fright: Costume contracts
By Valerie Strauss
Lots of schools have banned Halloween. Some say they don’t have time for Halloween frivolity; others worry that the day has religious overtones and families could be offended. And then there are those that set down so many rules about wearing a costume that the fun can get knocked out of it. Here's a contract kids and parents had to sign at one school.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:22 AM ET, 10/31/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  costumes, first amendment, halloween, halloween and schools, halloween costumes, history of halloween

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/22/2010

Court: Cheerleader had no 1st Amendment right to refuse to cheer for alleged assailant
By Valerie Strauss
This really happened: A federal appeals court ruled that a former Silsbee, Texas, high school cheerleader did not have a First Amendment right to refuse to cheer for a basketball player who she had accused of sexually assaulting her and who later pleaded guilty to simple assault.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  cheerleader, dismissed from team, first amendment rights, sexual assault, texas cheerleader, texas court

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/23/2010

Schools should teach religion (now more than ever)
By Valerie Strauss
The new school year began at a moment when religion was front and center in American popular dialogue. But the one place those issues were least likely to be discussed was in public schools. A professor argues that schools have misinterpreted the concept of "separation of church and state" and says students should learn about religion.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  establishment clause, first amendment, lausreligion in schoreligin in, religion and school, separation of church and state, teaching religion

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 06/01/2010

Clemson student charged for rude e-mail
By Valerie Strauss
Here’s another in a long list of overreactions by school officials to young people saying things in a way others would rather they didn’t. At Clemson University, an undergraduate was charged with "disorderly conduct," "harassment" and other school rule violations for sending a rude e-mail to an administrator.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 06/01/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Higher Education | Tags:  1st amendment rights, Clemson University, FIRE, disorderly conduct charges, first amendment rights, free speech at school, free speech on campus, student charged for nasty email, student charged for rude email, student charged with disorderly conduct, the right to free speech