Teachable Moment: Kansas Walkout Crackdown Violates Free Speech?!?

Context . . .

Actually, the comparison might not be apt because some of the most memorable and powerful civil rights era protests were from ADULT COLLEGE STUDENTS OVER 18 and the Kansas crackdown is aimed at high school student youngsters. 

But here's the question posed by prog bloggers . . . 

DOES THE PROPOSED KANSAS CRACKDOWN AGAINST STUDENT WALKOUTS VIOLATE FREE SPEECH?!?!

There actually is a bit of precedent for this and it's worth considering . . . TKC isn't a lawyer but we have some knowledge about free speech issues and we'd advise anyone who wants to engage in reasonable debate to look up two legal contradictions . . . 

A case that seems to affirm student expression . . . 

 Tinker v. Des Moines - Landmark Supreme Court Ruling on Behalf of Student Expression 

And then a more recent setback for student expression  . . . 

Supreme Court rejects appeal of Massachusetts student who wanted to wear ‘only two genders’ T-shirt

And then before JoCo parents get too worked up .  . . 

Any walkout ban might earn an injunction and the issue probably won't be settled until current student protesters are already out school and looking for their first barista job. 

Here's the progressive sentiment on the topic after some parents are more concerned about safety than drumming up support for the midterms . . .  

"It’s easy to recognize some aspects of those 1960s student protests in the anti-ICE protests of today. When power seems indifferent to justice, one recourse is to take to the streets with signs and bullhorns in the hope of creating enough visual and aural noise to make a difference in the things that matter. You know, the things that are supposed to matter in a democracy — justice, equality, fairness and an end to foolish wars. It’s a lesson each generation must learn for itself, or else risk losing the freedom to speak and act.

"That kind of freedom makes the would-be despots among us nervous.

"Now let us to turn to the Kansas Senate, which may be free of would-be despots but has plenty of confirmed quislings among the GOP supermajority. On March 3, the Senate voted 21-18 in favor of an amendment to punish school districts for student walkouts. The amendment, tacked onto a 364-page appropriations bill, would require parental permission for students to participate in protests and would impose harsh financial penalties for school districts found to have improperly encouraged or facilitated a walkout. The fine would be equivalent of the district superintendent’s salary for each day of a walkout, which for larger districts could be more than $200,000."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

If Kansas punishes schools for student walkouts, it will discourage free speech. Just as intended. * Kansas Reflector

If you've been following the news lately it's easy to recognize some aspects of those 1960s student protests to anti-ICE protests of today.