Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Symbolic Speech In Public Schools: A Selective Case Analysis From Tinker To Zamecnik, Charles R. Waggoner

Administrative Issues Journal

The freedom to express the self and the right to a free public education sets the American public school experience apart from those of many other nations. The combination of the two often creates tensions and confrontations that become contentious leading to litigation. For the past fifty years the courts have attempted to balance the symbolic rights of students with the obligation of the school to protect students from bullying, while maintaining decorum that allows all students to pursue an education free from intimidation. Young people express themselves in many ways, often in a symbolic manner that involves the wearing …