This is a story about First Amendment research. But bear with me a moment as I bury the lead.
We Midwesterners can often use the sad-sack Chicago Cubs as our scapegoat. After all, the out-of-kilter baseball franchise has suffered unsatisfying seasons since William Howard Taft was president.
The string of woe continued last summer when the favored Cubs were ushered out of the National League playoffs. In the first round.
Some blamed the collapse - in part at least - on a Japanese newcomer with the unlikely (and unfortunate) name of Kosuke Fukudome. His collapsing season drew the wrath of the impatient Cub faithful.
Not so for 15-year-old Jill Howe, a sophomore at Elgin High School in the Chicago suburbs. She dutifully wore her Fukudome jersey to school one day last fall when the pennant race was hot.
Not so fast, Jill.
Knee-jerk administrators told her she could not wear that unfortunate name on her back in a public school.
Cooler heads eventually prevailed and she was allowed to publicly support one of her favorite Cubs once the administration realized the word was a name, not an indecent suggestion.
The whole episode typified the atmosphere of today's public schools when it comes to student expression. Administrators often censor first and then ask questions later.
Episodes such as this one - and many others more serious - prompted our J-Ideas institute to explore the state of the First Amendment within the minds of today's high school administrators, the chief educators in the school. We found in our national survey that support for free speech is at an all-time low in the corner offices of our publicly funded schools.
It has been 40 years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled overwhelmingly that a student's right to free speech does not stop at the schoolhouse door. Tell that to many of today's administrators, who routinely censor student media and root out controversial content. In many ways, we operate as if we are "in the land of the free and home of the easily offended," said Ken Paulson, USA Today editor and former executive director of the First Amendment Center.
We surveyed 700 principals, with research showing lagging support for free expression in general and student expression in particular. Only 25 percent of the principals believe that students should be able to publish without censorship.
David Bulla, a journalism professor at Iowa State University and a veteran researcher in the area of high school journalism, noted that principals do not fully support the First Amendment. "Paradoxically," he said, "the majority of principals believe the government should not interfere with newspapers outside the high school. Thus, the notion of freedom of the press is largely abstract for high school administrators. That is, it applies outside their schools, but not within."
Many who teach student journalism wonder what the results of our survey mean?
Bulla said, "How (can) scholastic journalism teach students to dig for important stories, report controversial topics and seek truth when the agents of the state have such a restricted view of press freedom on campus?"
We interviewed a dozen of the principals who returned surveys to verify the hardening of attitudes we observed in the findings. Very quickly, those anonymous comments backed up the data. Here's a sample:
"I think we have gotten too liberal about the First Amendment. The school should be a place of comfort for people. At times, free speech invades that comfort." (Florida male, 55)
"Civility in schools is eroding. Schools should do more to control language. Kids are crude sometimes in their behavior." (Montana female, 60)
"The First Amendment does not always paint us principals in a good light. Sometimes, free expression may not always be in your best interest." (Pennsylvania male, 45)
It may come down to personal security. Principals juggle many tasks at once, including safety, good public relations and the need to satisfy parents, school boards, teachers and more.
Kit Moran, principal of Dexter (Mich.) High School, believes in giving students a broad range in making content decisions for the student publication.
"It's how they learn journalism," he said. "Many principals try to hold too tight a control. It comes down to how they lead. A principal who wants to make all the decisions, to control every little aspect of his school, will censor."
He added, "That person is more a manager. Someone who lets go is a leader."
Write to Warren at wwatson@bsu.edu
Warren Watson directs the J-Ideas First Amendment institute at Ball State University. J-Ideas conducts online and onsite activities in support of student journalism and First Amendment awareness. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
