Use the recently decided student free speech case, Guiles v. Marineau, to help understand how the Constitution works to protect individual rights.
Congress requires schools to note the adoption of the U.S. Constitution on the anniversary of its signing, and to teach about it in classrooms on that day.
While technically the Constitution was signed on Sept. 17 in 1787, this year Monday the 18 th has been declared ?Constitution Day? since the 17 th is not a school day. The entire week, Sept. 17-23, has been designated ?Constitution Week.?
A federal mandate may seem a bit of a heavy-handed way to promote teaching of the Constitution. The Constitution is more than 200 years old, its language is stiff, and many people think only lawyers can understand it. Why should students learn about it?
The reason why everyone should learn about the Constitution is because we enjoy its protections every day.
We think that the best way for students to learn about the Constitution is to study legal cases involving students.
Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York upheld the right of a Williamstown Middle School student to wear a T-shirt critical of George Bush.
Zachary Guiles was an ordinary young citizen who thought his free speech rights were violated when his school tried to censor a T-shirt he was wearing. Read his story. It?s the story of taking a key, turning on an engine, and making the Constitution come alive. It?ll help you understand why you should learn about the Constitution.
Follow the link below to read about Guiles v. Marineau. Link to actual legal documents and read lawyers? briefs and judges? opinions.
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