Answered: Student Protests
Young people across the nation continue to express their opinions and influence change through various forms of protest. The McLellan answers your questions about student’s rights when they choose to voice their opinions through protesting.
Can students get in trouble for kneeling during the national anthem?
As long as you aren’t causing a substantial disruption to the game, kneeling during the anthem is protected by the First Amendment.
Can high school students get together to protest school decisions on campus during school hours?
You’re passionate about an issue and you want to take a stance. So, you gather up a bunch of students and organize a protest—a sit-in, a walk-out, a picket line, etc. But does the school have the power to shut it down? Aren’t these protests protected by the First Amendment?
See our response
Can a school enforce lockdown procedures to prevent a student protest?
At school this week, all the students planned to take part in the #walkout movement—walking out of class and standing in the halls in protest of gun violence in schools. Students at plenty of other schools walked out of their classrooms, but our school was put into lockdown mode to stop the demonstration. Can the school do that? Doesn’t that violate our free speech rights?
See our response
