No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws... |
| | Students do not lose their constitutional rights simply for being in school: their rights to free speech, assembly, press, and privacy are protected. These rights were first supported in the Tinker v. Des Moines decision, in which Justice Abe Fortas said, "School officials do not posess absolute authority over their students." Student civil liberties, though, carry a couple of exceptions: except for discrimination laws, which apply to all schools, only public schools are legally bound to protecting student civil liberties; and even public schools are allowed more leniency for upholding civil liberties in the interest of maintaining safe and learning-conducive environments. By retaining their civil liberties in school, however, students have the opportunity to learn as much about being diverse and responsible citizens in school as they learn about history and science inside the classroom. |
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Friday, August 23, 2002 |
Georgia School Board Requires Balance of Evolution and Bible
Although the evolution vs. "intelligent design" issue is in constant battle in public schools, in this case the proponents are only seeking to add disclaimers that students should approach evolution "critically." The Georgia chapter of the ACLU seeks to remove the disclaimers.
In a survey conducted by Lawrence Lerner of California State University in 2000, both Georgia and Maine were found to have seriously problematic education standards for evolution.
[New York Times: National]
4:19:43 PM 
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© Copyright 2002 Lucas Burke.
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