‘Carte Blanche To Ban Whatever’: Wisconsin School District Wants To Impose Radical Speech Limits That Violate First Amendment

A school district in Wisconsin wants its students and employees to say what it wants – and only what it wants.

And it’s apparently going to try to force that by imposing a “hate” speech code that is in violation of the First Amendment, according to a report from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Express.

The organization reports that it is the Baraboo School District that has a draft policy stating, “Hate speech is not protected speech” and outlines plans for the district to “not tolerate any form of hate speech.”

Those statements and opinions, the school insists, will be banished “both on and off school grounds,” FIRE reported.

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Yes

No

Submit Vote

“But here’s the problem: ‘Hate speech’ has no legal meaning in the United States, and the term is often used to describe speech that is constitutionally protected,” FIRE reported. “The policy does provide its own definition of ‘hate speech,’ namely ‘any form of communication that attacks, threatens, degrades, or insults a person or group based on their race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender variance, or any other group.’”

But FIRE, in a letter to the district, explains that “vague and subjective definition violates the First Amendment.”

Actually, many analysts have said the First Amendment was created in order to protect offensive speech, because inoffensive comments – those that everyone would support – would need no special protection.

FIRE explains, “The First Amendment makes no general exception for offensive, repugnant, or hateful expression.”

And it cited the U.S. Supreme Court, which “recently reaffirmed that ‘America’s public schools are the nurseries of democracy.’ That means they have an interest in protecting students’ freedom to express themselves, and that ‘protection must include the protection of unpopular ideas, for popular ideas have less need for protection.’”

Students’ speech rights inside school walls actually are abridged somewhat, in order to “maintain order and discipline.”

“But school officials don’t have carte blanche to ban whatever speech they personally think is offensive or inappropriate. Rather, they can restrict student speech only in limited circumstances, such as when it would substantially disrupt the learning environment. … Schools cannot suppress speech out of ‘mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint.’”

For example, FIRE challenges, “Is it ‘hate speech’ for a student to argue that Joe Biden and Donald Trump are too old to be president because it ‘attacks’ or ‘degrades’ a person based on their age?”

“Absent evidence of substantial disruption, the First Amendment protects students’ expression of controversial opinions…”

Further, the organization notes, when “students leave school grounds, they’re under the authority of their parents, not government employees.”

* * *

Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@wndnewscenter.org.

This article was originally published by the WND News Center.

Related:

• To Hell With The First Amendment: Biden-Harris Quietly Obligated U.S.A. to Join the U.N.’s Internet Censorship Scheme
• Video of the Day: John Kerry Slams First Amendment as Major Roadblock to Government Being Able to “Hammer” Dissent “Out of Existence”
• To HELL With The First Amendment: Comrade Kamala Harris Admits She Intends to Use ‘Justice’ Department to Censor Free Speech (Video)
• MSNBC Openly Attacks First Amendment, Says Free Speech Leaves American Democracy “Vulnerable”
• To Hell With The First Amendment: Democrat Stacey Plaskett Defends Censorship, Claims ‘Free Speech Is Not an Absolute’

Turn your back on Big Tech oligarchs and join the New Resistance NOW!  Facebook, Google, and other members of the Silicon Valley Axis of Evil are now doing everything they can to deliberately silence conservative content online, so please be sure to check out our MeWe page here, check us out at ProAmerica Only and follow us at Parler, SocialCross, Speak Your Mind Here, and Gab.  You can also follow us on Truth Social here, Twitter at @co_firing_line, and at the social media site set up by members of Team Trump, GETTR.

Give a middle finger to unaccountable global censors and big tech fascists.  Bookmark this site, sign up for our newsletter, and check back often.

While you’re at it, be sure to check out our friends at Whatfinger News, the Internet’s conservative front-page founded by ex-military!And be sure to check out our friends at Trending Views: