May school officials prohibit teachers from expressing their personal opinions in class?

Teacher Speech in Public Schools

During a class discussion of an article about peace marches in protest of U.S. military involvement in Iraq, Deborah Mayer, a probationary teacher at Clear Creek Elementary School in Bloomington, Indiana, voiced the opinion that peace was preferable to war and said she personally supported the peace marchers. When parents complained, the school’s principal told all teachers to refrain from taking sides in political controversies in class. When the school district later failed to renew her contract, Ms. Mayer sued, alleging that the decision was based on her political expression and violated her First Amendment right to free speech.

May school officials prohibit teachers from expressing their personal opinions in class?

A. NO—At the heart of any culture of learning is the basic principle of academic freedom. To micromanage what and how teachers engage students in their coursework is not just a violation of the First Amendment; it’s bad policy.
B. YES—As public employees, public school teachers do not enjoy the same free-expression rights while they are fulfilling their official duties as educators.
C. NO—The First Amendment exists to protect each individual’s right to say whatever he or she wants to say. The courts have a responsibility to intervene any time that basic right is violated in the name of power or authority.

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