Teachers have the right to express their political preferences so long as their doing so does not interfere with their job and the education of their students. A good argument can be made that political buttons and the like can spark classroom discussion about the candidates, politics and government. It can be educational for students to know what the issues are, and to form their own opinions about the election. It is hard to see how wearing a campaign button would disrupt education, Such expression would be more likely to enhance it. Suppression of political views sends the wrong message to students. – Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times editorial
If teachers are using them as political billboards – announcing their partisan identifications from their chests – the question of the intrusion of politics in the classroom cannot be avoided. One way of answering it is to claim that teachers who wear campaign buttons are performing a valuable educational purpose. But you don’t have to be overtly partisan in order to proclaim the virtue of participating in the political process. You can get that message across with a button that reads “I will vote on Nov. 4.” But what about a faculty member’s rights? This is the most often voiced objection to a button ban. It curtails the constitutionally protected speech of teachers. When faculty members are not in class, they remain free to sport their buttons, and when they leave the campus, the employer has no say at all about what they do or do not wear. – Stanley Fish, New York Times
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60 Comments
Yes…..
No.
Then where does it stop?
Can police put custom tags on their cruisers that state McCain 09? Or wear a nice under badge device pulling for McCain?
How about road workers wearing a conspicuous McCain/Palin t-shirt underneath their orange vests?
If you’re up for some voter fraud because you’re an Acorn worker and have to go to court, would you want the Judge, Bailiff and court reporter wearing McCain/Palin campaign buttons?
Deal with it teachers, you are public servants, you don’t get your way 100 percent of the time.
Another absolutely idiot Brownlee question. Can he do any worse…probably, as he continues to press the frontier of idiocy and partisan bias.
Wear campaign buttons when teaching, of course not! They are there to teach children, not try an influence them politically, and possible create confusion, possibly alienation, which would of course interfere with their job.
Frankly I question if many teachers don’t know what their job is anymore with what this school system is doing and turning out.
They can do as they please on their own time, but when teaching they are working for the public, and need to remember what they were hired for, not campaign.
With all of the rules these days about what the STUDENT can or can’t wear or say I find it somewhat hypocritical of teachers getting bent over not being able to wear a campaign button.
Face it, there are way to many teachers out there today who will try to overtly influence how our kids think. They will take it beyond the “sparking discussion” level and to the indoctrination level. And some of them WILL be oppressive about it.
Don’t be cry babies.
That said, far to much of what can or can’t be said or done in our schools today is the result of a lawsuit filed somewhere by a parent or advocasy group somewhere. Too many lawyers have been involved with what goes on in our schools today. It needs to stop.
“Should teachers be able to wear campaign buttons to work?”
Of course! As long as they are buttons in favor of Democrats.
Now if my kid comes home and tells me one of his teachers is shilling the cons, then I have an issue.
You cons are free to practice the same.
How many votes would this sway? Last time I looked, you have to be 18 to vote…and most students are not of voting age. Wearing a button by a teacher certainly cannot influence any votes when the people seeing it are not registered to vote, anyway. (unless ACORN has been to the schools, that is)
It would be indoctrination. Teachers are authority figures and generally respected by children. They need to keep their politics to themselves in the classroom.
K-12 NO
College YES
“How about road workers wearing a conspicuous McCain/Palin t-shirt underneath their orange vests?”
Would that be like a bulls-eye?
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bth
Posted October 22, 2008 at 7:55 am | Permalink
K-12 NO
College YES
———————-
Private Universities – Yes
Public Universities – No
Hey by ALL means cons, wear that McCain/Palin support with pride!
I WANT to know who you are! I promise to only point and laugh a little. THEN I’ll console you
I like the suggestion of the button that says, “I will vote.”
It probably fosters better working conditions for all employees to leave their political preferences to their personal time.
In Kansas, introducing kids to Progressive and Democratic thought SHOULD be considered educational and enlightening. We know a majority of their parents are not going to put a decent idea in their heads.
I’d like to think an enterprising teacher would include election stuff in appropriate ways.
Kids know the election is going on and turning the classroom into some sort of politics-free zone seems more problematic than not. And I think most teachers are more thoughtful than to advocate one way or another.
If my algebra teacher had worn a campaign button, I’d immediately opposed his candidate. If “Old Lady Finster” supports Obama, I’d be for McCain…especially after a pop quiz.
But English classes could look at competing brochures. Math classes could look into polling and percentages and how the electoral college vote can skew the popular vote. History classes; that’s a natural.
I guess it comes down to the big difference I see between CONs and Liberals when it comes to education. CONs want to dictate what to think; Liberals advocate teaching how to think.
It’s called education, not indoctrination.
I guess it comes down to the big difference I see between CONs and Liberals when it comes to education. CONs want to dictate what to think; Liberals advocate teaching how to think.
—————-
I don’t see this as a partisan issue. But leave it to Monkeyhawk to try turn it into one.
But he is a fully indoctrinated ‘crat partisan and does not know how to think any other way.
Regular – so Ken Ciboski could not wear his McCain pin (with Mel Kahn wearing his Obama pin)?
I like the idea already brought up of a button that simply states, “I vote”. Kids should be taught that voting is a wonderful thing. I would disapprove of any campain buttons, but I don’t think it should be prohibited.
MH – interesting ideas. But I fear it would be very difficult to accomplish and remain ‘neutral’.
Perhaps better material for that might be campaign material from another state so that at least the specific candidates and not known locally. Sort of trying to remove any ‘conflict of interest’
I guess both sides are entitled to their OPINIONS on this matter, but the SCOTUS ruled almost 40 years ago on this issue in Tinker et al. v. Des Moines Independent Community School District et al.
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/tinker.html
The rights of teachers to wear political buttons is protected under this ruling.
No.
Teachers are paid to teach the district curriculum. A teacher’s freedom of speech is not abrogated because they can do what they wish on their own time. On the district’s time, though, it’s not right for the teachers to advocate one faction over another to their young captive audience.
“guess both sides are entitled to their OPINIONS on this matter, but the SCOTUS ruled almost 40 years ago on this issue in Tinker et al. v. Des Moines Independent Community School District et al.
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/tinker.html
The rights of teachers to wear political buttons is protected under this ruling.”
So you say. I say, after reading the ruling, maybe.
There were several distinctions. THe case was brought about by pupils, the school district had no policy about other forms of political expression, etc.
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Blaidd_Drwg69
Posted October 22, 2008 at 8:42 am | Permalink
I guess both sides are entitled to their OPINIONS on this matter, but the SCOTUS ruled almost 40 years ago on this issue in Tinker et al. v. Des Moines Independent Community School District et al.
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/tinker.html
The rights of teachers to wear political buttons is protected under this ruling.
————————–
No it is not. That had to do with arm bands.
School districts have specific policies on wearing political paraphernalia while on teaching duty.
It hasn’t even come up before the Supreme Court as yet.
However, many local and district Judges have struck down the request to wear campaign buttons while teaching.
If Tinker is read broadly, then it seems SCOTUS did answer the question asserted in the header in the affirmative. However, lj makes a good point about how it might be distinguished from the issue of teachers wearing campaign buttons. One distinction which might make a difference was that while Tinker deals with students wearing black arm bands to protest the Viet Nam War, this “political speech” was not partisan, while wearing campaign buttons by teachers is partisan.
I note that Tinker does not prohibit all regulation of “free speech” of students and faculty by a school district; rather, under the facts of that case, SCOTUS found the actions of the district violated the First Amendment rights of the students involved.
As a matter of personal opinion, in a K-12 situation where attendance is, generally speaking, mandatory, I do not believe teachers should be permitted to wear campaign buttons in the classroom. What they do outside school is their business. As to post-secondary education, the professors, instructors, et al, should be free to do as they see fit.
avtolle-
Another distinction in Tinker was
“It is also relevant that the school authorities did not purport to prohibit the wearing of all symbols of political or controversial significance. The record shows that students in some of the schools wore buttons relating to national political campaigns, and some even wore the Iron Cross, traditionally a symbol of Nazism. The order prohibiting the wearing of armbands did not extend to these. Instead, a particular symbol–black armbands worn to exhibit opposition to this Nation’s involvement [511] in Vietnam–was singled out for prohibition. Clearly, the prohibition of expression of one particular opinion, at least without evidence that it is necessary to avoid material and substantial interference with schoolwork or discipline, is not constitutionally permissible. ”
So, can it not also be said that Tinker would not apply if buttons expressing any political opinion (in this case candidate) were forbidden? Seems like the above is one of the hinges on which the decision hung.
BlueJay
Posted October 22, 2008 at 8:06 am | Permalink
In Kansas, introducing kids to Progressive and Democratic thought SHOULD be considered educational and enlightening. We know a majority of their parents are not going to put a decent idea in their heads.
—————————————————-
A decent idea or an idea that agrees with your world view?
CONs want to dictate what to think; Liberals advocate teaching how to think.
Yeesh. No one is more blind than those who choose not to see.
P-lease. You haven’t read your side’s leading resident lunatic yet, have you? (Yes, that’s you, JR) No one does more “indocrination” than the left; hell, no one is more intolerant of differing opinions than the left.
But this question is simple, and no, the Tinker decision is not controlling.
No.
After work, on your own time, be my guest. Campaign to your heart’s content. And we agree, MH, classrooms should not be politics-free zones, at least, not classrooms where political discussion is appropriate to the subject (history, Government/’social studies’ (I hate that term), etc. In math, one might use polling for a study of statistics. An English class might use political advertising as examples of persuasive speech. I’m sure there are lots more examples.
Teachers must use care to be even-handed, and encourage differences of opinion and rational discussion of issues. Teachers need not even necessarily be seen as “neutral” (it’s very difficult to pretend to be something you’re not) as long as it is crystal clear that ALL views are welcomed and shared.
But shilling for any particular candidate?
No. Absolutely not. And BTW – not at a public university either.
Blue Jay,
Who is we,and arent you a little presumptious in stating that you know what parents are or are not teaching their children?
Again, everyone is expressing their opinion on the matter. That’s cool, it’s what this country is all about.
However, “Tinker” does protect a teacher’s right to wear a campaign button. Walk into any school and you will see both major parties supported by teachers wearing campaign buttons.
I suppose if you feel so inclined, pursue a legal case against a teacher for wearing a campaign button. It will be fun watching you waste your money on legal fees.
BlueJay
Posted October 22, 2008 at 7:25 am | Permalink
“Should teachers be able to wear campaign buttons to work?”
Of course! As long as they are buttons in favor of Democrats.
Now if my kid comes home and tells me one of his teachers is shilling the cons, then I have an issue.
You cons are free to practice the same.
———————————————–
Are you afraid he might find out that you aren’t always right and there are 2 sides to an issue? Heaven forbid he learns to think for himself and maybe disagree with you.
First off, all but a very few K-12 students are eligible to vote in the first place. So the issue is, ahem, academic.
As for public universities: all but a very few college students are eligible to register and vote and should be expected to make a decision even if others around them disagree.
I doubt it would be a good idea for a teacher to advocate a particular candidate for the Board of Education. But not because rougue 7th Graders might force their parents to vote one way or another.
What a silly non-issue.
#
Blaidd_Drwg69
Posted October 22, 2008 at 9:24 am | Permalink
Again, everyone is expressing their opinion on the matter. That’s cool, it’s what this country is all about.
However, “Tinker” does protect a teacher’s right to wear a campaign button. Walk into any school and you will see both major parties supported by teachers wearing campaign buttons.
I suppose if you feel so inclined, pursue a legal case against a teacher for wearing a campaign button. It will be fun watching you waste your money on legal fees.
=======================
The only thing I found in the USD 259 (Wichita) ethics rules concerning items of political nature is:
P2219 DISTRIBUTION OF POLITICAL MATERIALS
BOARD POLICY:
Political materials, including partisan information, may be distributed to adult employees within the school building, on the school site, and in teachers’ mail boxes. The principal is responsible for assuring equal treatment of all candidates.
Administrative Implemental Procedures:
1. The principal must be advised of political material being distributed.
2. The principal may deny permission to distribute material which may substantially disrupt the school.
3. The principal will determine that distribution procedures will not disturb the orderly routine of the school nor produce a major litter problem.
4. The principal must determine the source of the political material and may deny distribution privileges to anonymous or subversive efforts.
5. Political material may not be posted on bulletin boards (except as provided for in employment agreements) or any school facility.
6. Teachers may not use pupils for general distribution of political materials to parents or to other pupils.
Administrative Responsibility: Superintendent
Latest Revision Date: February 2006
Previous Revision Date: July 1994 P2219
Here’s a thought – what if the school is a polling place? Should the teachers be allowed to wear their political buttons then? Isn’t there some law about no political ads within so many feet of the polling booth?
Are there any schools currently being used as a polling place anymore? They were when I was a kid but that was many years ago.
Are you afraid he might find out that you aren’t always right and there are 2 sides to an issue? Heaven forbid he learns to think for himself and maybe disagree with you.”
My son is 14 so you may rest assured, I am very rarely “right” in his eyes about much of anything.
And thinking for himself? Hell that has damn near got him killed more times than I can remember.
I HAVE managed to school him properly to regard Republicans and the self righteous among the faithful with a wary eye.
Note, MY position is the buttons should be allowed. If a teacher wears a button for a con, I call them on it. Parents of kids with teachers with a Democratic bent have similar freedom. I respect ALL teachers. But one of the worst teachers me and my kid ever had to deal with had a big honking poster of bush on her wall.
Well, if the issue is about the principle of being allowed to wear a button supportin a candidate of your choice in an election….
What about wearing a button supporting a ballot initiative which opposes same sex marriage as an amendmend to the state constitution?
What about wearing a button supporting your faith?
All of a sudden, the issue of how innocent wearing a button can be goes right out the window for you liberals.
Something tells me that you liberals would burn a teacher at the stake before allowing them to wear such buttons in the classroom.
“Note, MY position is the buttons should be allowed. If a teacher wears a button for a con, I call them on it.”
Based on what, may I ask? Just that you don;t like it? Seriously, without rancor, without partisanship, what would you call them on? So you could give your political viewpoints? That you think that they have the wrong politics? That they shouldn’t wear the button because?
Personally, I think the classroom should be off limits to teachers exhibiting partisan politicis, whethe it is an issue, or a a candidate, or a religous position (for or against)
“Something tells me that you liberals would burn a teacher at the stake before allowing them to wear such buttons in the classroom.”
Seems to me that as many conservatives as liberals opposed teachers wearing them.
“Regular
Posted October 22, 2008 at 6:48 am | Permalink
No.
Then where does it stop?”
“littlejohn
Posted October 22, 2008 at 11:22 am | Permalink
Personally, I think the classroom should be off limits to teachers exhibiting partisan politicis, whethe it is an issue, or a a candidate, or a religous position (for or against)”
Another liberal?
“My son is 14 so you may rest assured, I am very rarely “right” in his eyes about much of anything.”
Blue Jay, I can commiserate. However, I thinkI can I can tell you that he thinks you are more likely right than he will ever admit to.
Is the glass half empty or half full?
Can they please be asked to remove their crosses from around their necks and ditch their other religious stuff too?
Take the jesusfish off the cars in the school parking lot?
Indoctrination indeed.
Sure, as long as they remove the Obama stickers, and the anti-religion bumper stickers, the prounion bumper stickers, etc etc etc.
I got no problem with that. GO for it.
Can a student wear a pro-gun shirt?
Can the student also draw a picture of a gun?
The answer should be the same as the button question…”yes”.
But in a totalitarian, pussified country, “no” is what we get.
Discussions like these, with old folks like us, remind me of just how much adults choose to forget about being in high school.
I get involved with community theatre and spend more time than most people my age working alongside high school and community college -aged people.
If the cutest girl in school who doesn’t have a boyfriend were to wear a Mao Tse Dung t-shirt to school the whole football team would become Communists. Get real.
If the quarterback of the football team said, “Daniel Pearl had it coming,” half the girls in school would become Muslims.
As I pointed out above. It’s all academic.
Or what qualifies as “academic” when you’re a young, growing blob of raging hormones, newfound public hair, and yet-to-sag breasts.
I just remembered the guy who taught my Sophomore Speech class in high school.
“Ve haff vays uf making you talk!”
He didn’t need an arm band.
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Monkeyhawk
Posted October 22, 2008 at 3:00 pm | Permalink
Discussions like these, with old folks like us, remind me of just how much adults choose to forget about being in high school.
I get involved with community theatre and spend more time than most people my age working alongside high school and community college -aged people.
If the cutest girl in school who doesn’t have a boyfriend were to wear a Mao Tse Dung t-shirt to school the whole football team would become Communists. Get real.
If the quarterback of the football team said, “Daniel Pearl had it coming,” half the girls in school would become Muslims.
As I pointed out above. It’s all academic.
Or what qualifies as “academic” when you’re a young, growing blob of raging hormones, newfound public hair, and yet-to-sag breasts.
I just remembered the guy who taught my Sophomore Speech class in high school.
“Ve haff vays uf making you talk!”
He didn’t need an arm band.
—————————————
You must have went to High School much later than I did.
When I went to High School, t-shirts of any kind were not allowed to be worn while in school. It was considered an undergarment.
Button up shirts, sweaters and etc. were required. No blue jeans were allowed either and you had to wear a belt with your pants.
“Back in my day political buttons were carved out of stone and written in hieroglyphics”
“off my lawn you damn kids!”
“Regular” contributes –
“You must have went to High School much later than I did.”
I must have.
By the time I got to high school they’d started teaching grammar.
Monkey, is this blog being graded?
I was circling things with my red pen for a while, but all I got was an f’d up monitor
No, don’t allow it. You don’t want them to heavily influence the votes of all the 2nd Graders out there, do you?
“Fiore_Buccieri
Posted October 22, 2008 at 5:19 pm | Permalink
No, don’t allow it. You don’t want them to heavily influence the votes of all the 2nd Graders out there, do you?”
If you would believe the Rush ilk, the 2nd graders are all already registered Democrats under the command of ACORN
“brian_nuevo” notes –
“If you would believe the Rush ilk, the 2nd graders are all already registered Democrats under the command of ACORN.”
Laugh now, shmuck.
But if Diebold had its way and the Kindergarten contract you’d be saying “President Barney the Dinosaur” on January 20th.
If Diebold had it’s way we would be saying President Dick Cheney.
Instead of the teachers wearing buttons expressing their point of views, they should discuss openly and fairly what the issues are and how each of the candidates stand on these issues.
If education is still about teaching the kids and allowing them to form their own opinions then this would be a much better approach.
As is stands now, if a student at a college or even the high school level openly talks about their point of views in politics and it so happens to disagree with the teach, then that student gets ridiculed by the teacher and then the students too because the students want to impress the teacher. And of course, this is mostly happening to the conservative republican students. Anybody, say David Horowitz. I thought that would get your dander up.
I’m sorry, “TheBorgHunter” –
Have you ever been in a college classroom?
You say “… they should discuss openly and fairly what the issues are and how each of the candidates stand on these issues.”
Uhm…
That’s pretty much everything I remember from my college literature experience, even when we were discussing whether Jane Eyre was a trollop or motivated by climbing the social ladder by any means possible (my professor considered her a “trollop” but I digress…)
If you think Moby Dick was a big ol’ fish-like creature, the novel is a helluva fish story. If you want to think that sperm whale got away from Ahab, it obviously is a symbol for emasculation.
Compare and contrast.
A good education isn’t about what to think but how to think.
Oh for heavens sake! It’s ridiculous out there! Teachers are there to teach, not to broadcast their voting preferences. Students have the right not to be subjected to their teachers’ voting choices. Teachers have the right of expression just like anyone else, but it should be done before or after school and off of school grounds. They can stand in the middle of a parade and shout it out to the world if they want! But not inside a classroom full of impressionable students. I think it is inappropriate at any level, including college. I long for the day to return when voting was a personal and private matter.
Sorry erika01, but your opinion is just that and does not really matter.
The right for a teacher to wear a campaign button of their choice, at school, is granted by Tinker et al. v. Des Moines Independent Community School District et al.
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/tinker.html
This is a pointless thread. Make a stink about this legally if you want, you will lose this one.
Now i know why the democrats mascot is a jackass after reading some of these post, an by the way i sure am glad the state bird is a meadolark an not a bluejay
Nope, Blaidd. You’ll lose that one; and it won’t be even close. Tinker is not remotely on point.
Seriously, folks — when American students are either (1) falling far behind students in other countries in science, math, and just about every other subject, or (2) dropping out at astounding rates, shouldn’t the teachers be more concerned about providing a good basic education, rather than worried about whether they are permitted to impart their own personal political philosophy to their impressionable captive audience? The teachers’ most important “right” is the right to do the job that we taxpayers hired them to do — teach the subject. It would be nice if high school graduates could read and write and count change, wouldn’t it?