The Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court case concerned two students who wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War.
The school district suspended the students, possibly violating their right to free speech. Which best summarizes the majority opinion?
A. There is no precedent for schools to limit the rights of students, so it is unconstitutional to suspend the students for their armbands.
B. The First Amendment protects the students' right to wear the armbands; they weren't disruptive, and the school allowed others to wear controversial symbols.
C. The Second Amendment guarantees citizens the right to bear arms and form a militia, so they were allowed to express their feelings on the war.
D. The case went through the process of judicial review to determine that fear of disruption alone was reason enough to suspend the students.
Answer: B. The First Amendment protects the students' right to wear the armbands; they weren't disruptive, and the school allowed others to wear controversial symbols.
The case <em>Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District</em> was a landmark decision by the U. S. Supreme Court. It involved the First Amendment rights of students in schools.
The majority opinion held that administrators needed to demonstrate valid reasons to regulate speech in schools, as this was protected under the First Amendment. School officials needed to show that the justification involved more than a desire to avoid unpleasantness or an unpopular point of view. It needed to be disruptive and significantly interfere with the operations of the school.
B. The First Amendment protects the students' right to wear the armbands; they weren't disruptive, and the school allowed others to wear controversial symbols.
