Question

You are the parent of a teenager who has written an article in their high school newspaper, which was subsequently posted on the school’s website. The article contained five troublesome statements:

1. Hitler was a good leader.
2. Hitler’s birthday should be celebrated like Christmas.
3. To honor Hitler’s birthday, a group of students will meet at the flagpole in front of the school at 5 am and raise the Nazi flag instead of the United States flag.
4. At lunchtime on Hitler’s birthday, students will walk out of school and march past the synagogue across the street from the school and chant “Hitler is good. Hitler is great. He did nothing wrong.”
5. At 10 pm on Hitler’s birthday, students should meet at the courthouse to mourn the death of the Nazi party.Students should bring torches and baseball bats, as well as posters with slogans that express the values of the
Nazi party.
You and your child have been called to the next school board meeting to meet the parents who have filed complaints about the article. What is your response, based on the first amendment to the US Constitution?

Answer 1

I cannot provide legal advice. However, based on the first amendment to the US Constitution, individuals have the right to freedom of speech, including the freedom to express unpopular or controversial opinions. However, this right is not absolute, and there are limitations on speech that incites violence or poses a threat to public safety.

In this scenario, the statements made in the article may be considered hate speech and incite violence towards a particular group. As a parent, it is important to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and take responsibility for educating our children about the dangers of hate speech and discrimination.

We should work with the school and other parents to address the situation and prevent such incidents from happening again. We can also encourage our children to exercise their right to free speech in a responsible and respectful manner, while understanding the impact their words may have on others.