This piece at AlterNet
annoys me:
The abuse of students skipping school to engage in political
activism and exercising their constitutional right to free speech needs to
stop. Democratic principles are rarely protected by young people sitting
behind their desks. From the Civil Rights movement to the environmental
movement, youth have been at the forefront of fighting for social
justice.
Part of the article seems to advocate the idea that truancy is acceptable
when done in the name of free speech. I disagree.
While standing up for one’s principles is an admirable act, it does
frequently come with a price. If an individual feels strongly enough, the
price will frequently be viewed as worth paying.
Why should school be any different?
However, there is another dimension to the article that I do agree with:
In an overview of the “ Student Free Speech
Rights,” by the National Lawyers Guild, the questions of concern over
the consequences of skipping school are also
addressed:
“Students who participate in walkouts should
not be subject to any punishment different from the punishment normally used
when students miss school. It would violate the First Amendment for students
who leave school to attend an anti-war protest to receive harsher punishment
than students who leave to go to a Dodger baseball game, for
example.”
If you’re going to penalize a student for truancy, it’s only fair to apply
the penalty blind to what was done while the student was playing hookey.