IN OUR VIEW | Off-Campus Comments: How far can a school go in regulating student speech?

The U.S. Supreme Court this week agreed to hear a case that could decide just how much authority schools have over students outside of the classroom.

Pennsylvania ninth-grader Brandi Levy didn't make the varsity cheerleading squad. Her response was to take a photo of herself and a friend, middle fingers raised, and post it on Snapchat along with a profanity-laced message directed at the school.

Snapchat are supposed to disappear after a day. But if someone takes a screenshot of the post it can live online forever. That's what happened. A coach saw the post and Brandi was suspended from junior varsity cheerleading squad for a year.

The Levy family took the school district to court and won. But the district appealed to the nation's highest court.

The court ruled in 1969 that students had First Amendment rights in protesting the Vietnam War, unless it substantially disrupted learning or discipline in the school. But that case was about on-campus speech.

Now the justices will decide just how far a school can go in regulating a student's off-campus conduct.

Some observers see the issue as simply a question of free speech. But others say times have changed and thanks to the fast spread of informnation online and on social media, off-campus comments have the potential to negatively affect on-campus conduct

We want to know what you think? Should schools be able to discipline students for off-campus speech? Or should that be beyond a school's authority?

Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, May 5. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504 or drop it off at our office, 101 E. Broad St., Texarkana, Ark. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.

Last Week: 51st State?

Last week's question was about a bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives that would make the District of Columbia our nation's 51st state. Should the District of Columbia become the 51st state? Or are you against D.C. statehood?

The individuals who crafted the laws and US Constitution had uniquely good ideas for this new republic back in early days of the United States. For over 200 years it has served us well in spite of threats from within as well as from outside threats. Having a District of Columbia set up to serve the people was sound then and it is sound today. Space does not allow for why this made sense, but suffice to say it was well thought out. Leave it alone and ask Congress to solve some other issues. - D.M., Texarkana, Texas

No, No, 1000 times NO Washington should NOT become a state This is simply a POWER GRAB by the Socialists attempting to take over our country There is already too much Political muscle located in the Northeast and far West! - A.B., Texarkana, Arkansas

The Constitution specifies that the Capitol will be set as a 10-mile squared area, separate from the States, in order to prevent any state from having an advantage. So no, it is not constitutional. End of discussion. - D.R., Wake Village, Texas

Absolutely, DC should have statehood with over 6 million people living there with no representation. There are many states that have less then a million people and have congressional representation. During the insurrection, the mayor could not call for National Guard and had to wait for "traitor trump" to call, in which he never did, because they have governor. What are Republicans afraid of? - R.K., Texarkana, Texas

From www.facebook.com/texarkanagazette

Yes

Blue power grab.

As well as the US Bahamas, the Virgin Island, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Make it 55 states.

It's called "Taxation without Representation". Why are they being denied these rights?

No! It's unconstitutional. Period.

If DC wants to be a state, they should become part of Maryland. Most people in DC are citizens of other states anyways.

No. It was never meant to be a state for a reason.

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