Jamestown Student Voices Concern Over Freedom of Speech Violation

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A Jamestown High School junior brought attention to a freedom of speech violation committed by the school’s interim principal at the School Board’s Jan. 17 meeting.

Landon Morrow told the board his club, One Desire, was singled out because it’s religious. He appeared at the meeting with a volunteer from the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization devoted to the legal defense of religious freedom.

In the days leading up to holiday break, student clubs and organizations were allowed to advertise their upcoming events with posters in the hallways. The posters had to be approved by the vice principal before being hung.

One Desire created a poster to promote its Christmas party, and received approval, but after the posters had been placed, Interim Principal Parke Land told the members they would need to remove them because the club was religious. He asked the students to distribute the posters by hand instead, Morrow said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Morrow told the board, “It concerns me because it exposes you to a discrimination lawsuit.” He said he’d like the administration to remind employees of the rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution’s first amendment, which guarantees the free exercise of religion. He also said that if the problem was not addressed, he might have to consider taking the Alliance Defense Fund’s offer to represent One Desire in a lawsuit.

Although the Supreme Court decided a wall of separation must exist between church and state (including schools) in Everson v. Board of Education, students can still exercise free speech. WJCC spokesman Greg Davy said Morrow was right to express his concern.

“The organization is school-sanctioned, and materials noting meeting times can be posted after a standard in-school approval process,” he said, adding that the principal made an error in asking for the posters to be removed. Land resigned last week, citing health reasons.

Davy said the administration had, per Morrow’s suggestion, reminded high schools of the appropriate approval process for posted materials. Morrow’s father, Mark Morrow, commended Superintendent Steve Constantino for his quick response; he said Constantino wrote a personal note to his son after the meeting and reviewed the policies with the three high school principals.