Why Is The First Amendment Important In Schools

The first amendment gives the right for every American to speak and think freely. It gives the American citizens a freedom of expression which is important in the educators and the students. In the education environment the first amendment allows students and educators to use or exercise their judgment and create learning environments that will be beneficial to the students and the school as a whole. In public schools the first Amendment is slightly changed, although it does not mean public schools don’t have first amendment rights, it means that since public schools are educational settings it must cover a broad range of subjects. The right of free speech is included in ways that does not interfere with the public schools goals. For example students cannot claim the right to not have incorrect answers and teachers can’t have the right to teach whatever they please.
In a school environment or when students and educators are in district care all it takes is “reasonable suspicion, meaning no written consent is needed in order to search your items. This allows school officials, such as security, teachers, principal or any school faculty to search students or even other educator’s belongings or area. For students if contraband is viewed in plain sight there is no need for any documentation or “probable cause”, some states allow strip searches, canine searches, and drug testing’s. For educators they usually have reasonable privacy expectations in their offices, persons, or lockers. Most areas are free to search if used by service by the school such as cabinets and desk drawers. Courts can determine whether a search was reasonable by whether it can be justified at the