Aliya Mood
Profiles Editor, the North Star

The Hazelwood Case defines high school journalism and students’ rights to freedom of speech. Last week while I was in my SAT prep class I came across a reading selection that discussed the infamous Hazelwood Case, and it sparked my mind. According to the case, students’ First Amendment rights stop as they enter the “schoolhouse gate.”

But how is this fair?

Throughout our journey through high school we are taught to express our feelings in class discussions and debates. But as soon as someone shares a belief that is unconventional or offensive, the student is punished with suspension, expulsion, etc.

High school is supposed to prepare us for college, the world beyond our parent’s houses and rows of lockers. But by this decision, how are students supposed to learn about and defend their right to freedom of speech?

In fact many students either don’t know what the First Amendment entails or they take it for granted. In a report done by MSNBC, it revealed that three out of four students took their First Amendment rights for granted or didn’t know how they felt about it. This is a saddening fact. The youths of today are the adults of tomorrow and if they don’t know their rights where will the country be in 15 to 20 years?

But reading the article in my SAT class made me realize that even I take my First Amendment rights for granted, and I forget how lucky I truly am to write for a high school paper that isn’t censored by the school. But as of last week, I stopped taking those rights for granted and I never will again.