School officials may not punish student speech unless they can clearly demonstrate that it will cause a substantial disruption of normal school activities. What is a “substantial disruption?” What if an argument broke out in the cafeteria? What if a fight occurred in a busy hallway?  In your opinion, when should school administrators punish student speech?

Textbooks:

• Kaplin, W. A. & Lee, B. A. (2014). The law of higher education. (5th Ed., Student Version). San
• Francisco: Jossey Bass. ISBN: 978-1-118-03662-4

Read the following sections:

• Section 9.4: Student Protests and Freedom of Speech
• Section 9.5: Speech Codes and the Problem of Hate Speech
• Section 10.3: The Student Press

Supplemental Materials:

• Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
• Sadegh Shamloo v. Mississippi State Board of Trustees (BRIEF)
• Justice for All v. Faulkner (BRIEF)
• Lewis v. St. Cloud University