A picture showing a student holding a gun in a non-threatening position, without a hand near the trigger, may be more reasonable. So, a picture of a gun being shot or deliberately aimed arguably shows violence, and could likely be censored. Yet, guns in schools is a big issue, and many students and teachers have died in school shootings. Under this rationale, an article about the target club with a photograph that shows students holding guns, or a senior photo of a student holding a gun could arguably be protected political speech under the First Amendment – especially if a student intended to express support for the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment was designed to allow citizens to overthrow a corrupt government in case the liberties of people are severely threatened, like during the Revolutionary War. However, the Second Amendment constitutionally provides citizens with the right to bear arms. Recently, the school shootings of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida have increased the debate over gun control laws. On average, in the first five months of 2018, there’s been one gun incident every week at K-thru 12 schools and college campuses. In today’s context, guns in school can bring reminders of school shootings, especially since there has been an increase in school shootings per year. Americans aren’t routinely clubbed to death by hockey sticks or golf clubs, but thousands have died by gun violence. While baseball bats, golf clubs, and hockey sticks can also be used as weapons, the context surrounding guns is different. An article about the target club shouldn’t be any different, right? In those photos, it would be typical to show students holding a baseball bat, a hockey stick, or a golf club because that is the equipment used for the sport. It’s pretty typical of a yearbook to have photo spreads of school clubs, or for a school newspaper to report on the accomplishment of sports teams. Certainly, the target club deserves to be in a yearbook or school newspaper. The target club is an approved club or sport at your school, just like the baseball, hockey or golf teams. Just with any potential publication, a school could possibly censor this photo depending on a few factors. This context includes: Is it a team photo? Is the school name in it? Is the gun being pointed or aimed? At the end of analysis like this, a school probably would have the power to censor that photo because schools wouldn’t want the photo to be perceived as promoting violence.ĭecisions about whether to publish a photo of a student with a gun must balance students’ constitutional rights with the school’s mission and responsibility to maintain a safe, non-disruptive school environment. Besides whether the speech is protected under the First Amendment as political speech, the school looks at how much control they actually have over the newspaper, the context in which the photo is being published, and the actual content of the photo. This is especially true if the school’s practice is to approve the articles before they are published. Schools are allowed to censor student speech, like a school’s newspaper, when that speech is sponsored by the school and contrary to the school’s mission.
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