Freedom of association is a fundamental right guaranteed by the first amendment. This encompasses the right of individuals to voluntarily join and leave groups, as well as the right of individuals to form groups to pursue common interests. This right makes it possible for people with diverse opinions to live peacefully in pluralistic communities…

This report provides a broad overview of the history and recent controversies surrounding safe space, and explains the variation of how safe space is defined or enacted at campus, division, and classroom levels within institutions. This brief is designed to give policymakers a broader perspective on safe spaces and the different ways that people…

This guide outlines the careful considerations and illustrative cases that help board members and campus leaders better understand the flash points surrounding freedom of speech, academic freedom, and the tensions between these free expression rights and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the present campus environment. It offers governing boards…

America's regional public universities (RPUs) serve a unique role as the portal through which so many students and the nation's future workforce gain the skills needed to face the economic challenges of the 21st century. RPU programs offer 4.9 million students, who are increasingly of color, low income, first generation, and working adults, the…

The issue of freedom of speech on college and university campuses has captured the interest of the nation and attracted considerable media attention. As board members and institutional leaders address the difficult questions that arise in relation to this controversial issue, they need to balance the competing tensions between individual freedom…

While freedom of speech is a defining characteristic of the United States, the First Amendment right is often regulated within certain environments. For years, schools have attempted to monitor and regulate student communication both within the educational environment and in student use of social media and other online communication tools.…

This book is directed to academics, educators, and government policy-makers who are concerned about addressing emerging cyber-bullying and anti-authority student expressions through the use of cell phone and Internet technologies. There is a current policy vacuum relating to the extent of educators' legal responsibilities to intervene when such…

Activities at Hunter College of the City University of New York to deal creatively and democratically with hate crimes on campus are reported including establishment of a Diversity Commission and heavy commitment of trustees and college president. (DB)

Questions a recent court decision in which public school employees who gathered on their own time on school property for prayer meetings and religious discussion were found to be in violation of the school district's policy prohibiting prayer meetings and in violation of the Constitution. (MD)

James LaVine, a high-school junior, wrote a first-person fantasy about killing 28 people in school and then committing suicide. The district suspended him for 17 days. James and his father filed suit against the school district alleging that the emergency expulsion violated James' First Amendment rights. The District Court ruled for the LaVines…

According to this reference manual, the nation's courts offer public high school journalists the same constitutional protection for expression, free speech, and free press as adults. Part 1 traces the development of the First and Fourth Amendments and explains how these provisions apply to high school publications. Part 2 examines expression that…

Addresses the question of whether student prayer groups should be allowed to use school facilities. The Equal Access Act allows all noncurricular student groups to meet, whereas four federal appellate court decisions ban prayer groups on the basis that separation between church and state outweighs students' right to free speech. (WTH)

The resolution of free speech issues in the public school context has, until recently, involved a precarious balancing between the First Amendment rights of students and teachers and the role of public schools in inculcating students with fundamental values. This year, in "Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier," the Supreme Court struck…

While the courts have said that public schools may not permit extracurricular religious groups to meet at school, Congress's Equal Access Act says that under certain conditions they must. The Supreme Court will review the issue. A copy of the Equal Access Act is provided. (DCS)

The United States Supreme Court ruling in "Mergens" gives school districts the following options: (1) require all student groups to have a direct relationship to curriculum; (2) have a "limited public forum," therefore, allowing noncurriculum-related groups to use school facilities; or (3) choose to ignore the law and forego…