Speaking of Student Rights

Everyone at Harvard has strong feelings about the war in Iraq. We have walkouts, rallies for peace and rallies for patriotism. But I think we can all agree that no one should attempt to deny the right of students of all political persuasions to publicly voice their opinions. To deny such discourse would be to deny us all part of the educational experience we cherish. Unfortunately for our younger brothers and sisters, high-school administrators across the country don’t value student speech rights the way our academic community does.

In several high schools, students have been banned from wearing pro- or anti-war t-shirts. Just this week, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, two teachers were put on administrative leave for refusing to take down student-made posters in their history/current events classes that include both pro- and anti-war messages. Clearly these teachers have a better concept of a holistic education than the administrative bureaucracies that put them on leave. Though principals claim that their policies are an issue of sensitivity toward those with differing opinions, preventing bruised feelings is no excuse for the disservice these educators are doing to their students.

Over the past decade, social capitalists such as Harvard’s Malkin Professor of Public Policy Robert D. Putnam have warned that civic participation is waning in the United States—especially among young people. America’s youth vote less and are less involved in their communities than previous generations. Too many American high schools are contributing to this trend by stifling the sort of free speech found in posters or t-shirts with war related messages. These schools are teaching their students that it is better to sit back and remain uncontroversial than create any unease through the meaningful debate of important national issues. We would expect this behavior of schools in China, not the United States.

Sure, high schools sometimes have to place meaningful restrictions on students in order to create a safe and peaceful learning environment. But there is more to an education than reading writing and arithmetic; certainly, we ought to be equipping high-school students to become involved citizens, too. We should encourage the exercise of free speech rights on high school campuses, not shy away from free speech because it might offend someone. There is no better place for American youth to begin learning and engaging in public debate than in our public schools.

Free speech can sometimes be rude, crude and offensive, but it is still protected because public debate is essential to ensure the health of American democracy. In a nation that values the political pluralism of its citizens, youth must be encouraged to speak out at home and at school as early and as often as they are encouraged to vote. Only then will America’s public high schools graduate their students into the real world prepared for adult citizenship.

—Michael J.W. Hines is an editorial editor.