The Silencing of Student Voices:Preserving Free Speech in America’s Schools

Book Description:

America’s public schools face a litany of problems — school violence, drugs, sexual abuse and others — as they attempt to educate the nation’s youth.

But some school officials’ responses to these problems, while well-intentioned, may go too far.

Schools are clamping down on many kinds of student expression deemed different or unusual. New "zero-tolerance" policies impose harsh penalties on first-time offenders. Officials have controlled language, censored students’ personal Web sites, established strict dress codes, banned symbols and tossed out books.

"The Silencing of Student Voices" takes a look at these issues and asks whether such policies — meant to protect students — actually may be trampling on their First Amendment rights.

From the publisher

Book by David L. Hudson Jr. on free expression for public school students.

Fully formatted Adobe Acrobat PDF files of the book can be downloaded here.

Download the Acrobat file of the cover. (136 KB)

Download the Acrobat file of the table of contents and introduction. (31 KB)

Download the Acrobat file of pp. 1-35. (402 KB)

Download the Acrobat file of pp. 37-76 (p. 36 is blank). (434 KB)

Download the Acrobat file of pp. 77-100. (132 KB)