The heightened use of "safe space" in educational settings has been the subject of polarizing contemporary controversy and protested by conservative and progressive camps alike, raising concerns about whether "safe space" remains an educationally viable concept. In response to claims that safety is conflated with…

Freedom of expression is imperiled on today's college campuses. Citizens and educators alike are concerned about the number of shout-downs and disinvitations and their silencing effect on intellectual diversity. The use of speech codes, "safe spaces," new rules demanding "trigger warnings," and condemning…

Teacher use of social networking sites such as Facebook has presented some ethical dilemmas for policy makers. In this article, we argue that schools are justified in taking action against teachers when evidence emerges from social networking sites that teachers are (a) doing something that is illegal, (b) doing something that reflects badly on…

In 2015, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) celebrated 20 years of hard-charging higher education reform. Once a lone voice in the wilderness, ACTA is now leading the charge in their vigorous campaign to restore academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability to American higher education. Core curricula, accreditation…

Cyberbullying has been identified by school leaders and researchers as one of the most serious adverse consequences of incorporating information technology into the classroom. This article examines the legal status of cyberbullying by conducting an analysis of selected federal appellate court opinions. This analysis identifies a set of legal…

In this article, the author examines the newly revised speakers policy in Boston College. The revised policy, defended by administrators as being consistent with past practice, differs in two important respects from the speakers policy it replaced. Lest the scope of this unfortunate policy be exaggerated, it is important to note that the policy…

Discusses the progress of anti-Hazelwood legislation, and lists the five states with student free expression laws: California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and Massachusetts. Notes that 16 states have made no attempts to counteract the ruling of Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. Describes the limits of the laws existing in the five states with…

During the period from 1630 to 1690, the Puritans were not arbitrary oppressors of free speech. They believed that public expression was valuable and necessary. They restricted only ungodly print or speeches by heretics and blasphemers. Within the boundaries of godly expression, Puritans encouraged discussion for the better enlightenment of…

The Massachusetts Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling against a speech pathology teacher whose contract was not renewed following a parent's complaint. The teacher had explained 4-letter words to 13 year-olds, bringing them up in class, then discouraged further usage. Judges decided the teacher had acted creatively in response to…

Analyzes Massachusetts case involving Salem State College decision to prevent a student from continuing his student teaching at an elementary school because of his continued expression of strongly held religious views in the classroom. First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the college's decision rejecting the student's claim that his 1st and 14th…

A study explored, through a review of the literature, specific problems that scholars have identified regarding free expression in student publications since "Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier" (1988). It then analyzed the six state statutes which were passed to clarify the extent of school administrators' rights to censor student journalism and…

The year 1916-17 undoubtedly marks the close of an important epoch in the history of higher education in the United States. It is impossible to foretell as yet what changes will be wrought in the purposes, methods, and control of higher institutions by the war. But the events mentioned in the closing sections in this review have interrupted the…