This post originally appeared at https://wifamilycouncil.org/radio/court-sides-with-students-in-first-amendment-case/
In a win for freedom of speech and common sense, an Ohio federal appeals court ruled last week that students do not have to address their classmates by preferred pronouns. The lawsuit was filed against a public school district that adopted an anti-harassment policy forcing students to affirm their classmates’ gender identity. Students who did not comply faced the threat of punishment. The court rightly concluded that the school district’s policies infringed on their students’ First Amendment rights.
The federal appeals court made the correct decision in this case. Freedom of speech doesn’t cease to exist in the halls of our nation’s public schools. In every state, including Wisconsin, public school policy should respect the First Amendment rights of students.