According to the guidelines published by the U.S Department of Education regarding religious expression in Public schools, students are allowed to express beliefs about their religions in their assignments. These assignments should be free of discrimination based on the religious subject matter of their submission. The teacher should, on their part, rate the assignment according to “ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance and against other legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school” (Darden, 2001). As a teacher, I am required to accommodate the religious standings of all of my students. When it comes to the matter of assignments, I should permit assignments that have religious themes; I should not however, require that students submit such assignments ( Edwards v. Aguillard , 1987).
The First Amendment does not ask Public Schools to stand in the way of Students and their religion, they are simply supposed to be religion-free zones that are neutral when it comes to the religious beliefs of students ( Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens , 1990) . When I give an assignment, I should assess it according to the student’s compliance with the pedagogical requirements of the assignment. The student is allowed to quote or refer to anything they would wish for within the bounds of the requirements. There should be neither censorship nor restrictions if the student decides to focus on a religious theme. The First Amendment allows students to focus on their religious beliefs when undertaking and presenting their assignments as long as they are within the bounds set about by what the pedagogy requires.
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It can be difficult to differentiate between academic freedom and the free speech rights found under the First Amendment. An understanding of both of these is vital in a school setting. Just because free speech is embedded in the First Amendment does not mean that students have the right to claim that all their answers to assignments and quizzes are correct. It also does not permit the teacher to teach or disregard content at own pleasure and will ( Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District , 1969) . Academic freedom comes into play to take care of this. It addresses the rights stipulated within the First Amendment but in the educational contexts of learning, researching and teaching. Academic freedom derives its basis from different factors from different sources in different circumstances. These factors include; whether the institution is public or private, state law or the school’s customs and policies.
This gives rise to my decision on whether to censor the student’s assignment or not. Censorship requires that I balance between free speech and academic freedom. Before succumbing to the pressure of whether to censor or not, the following should be considered; the integrity of the educational program, state’s education requirements and the beliefs held by students and community. Whilst doing this, I remain mindful to two guiding principles from the First Amendment; the first principle is that as an educator, I am more at ease when it comes to exercising professional judgment and accomplishing educational goals if my decisions are based on concrete pedagogical principles and are directed towards reinforcing the student’s ability to learn. The other guiding principle before making any decision is for me to remember that, decisions that lead to legal challenges are those that are driven by repulsion towards controversial and unpopular ideas or the need to adhere to set political, ideological or religious points of view. (James D. Jorgensen, & Lelia B. Helms, 2008)
In this case, while observing the First Amendment, I choose to consider the assignment of the student as valid and worthy of being displayed. The legal backing of my decisions is well laid out above. The student stuck to the subject matter and the pictorial representation provided is grounded on their thought and belief system. I shall assess the assignment on whether their choice of theme is relevant on the basis of the context of their assignment and not on the basis of their religious view and beliefs.
References
Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens (1990).
Darden, E. (2001). Legal Issues & Education Technology: A School Leader's Guide. an Itte Technology Leadership Network Special Report. Second Edition (1st ed.). NSBA Distribution Center.Edwards v. Aguillard (1987).
James D. Jorgensen, & Lelia B. Helms,. (2008). Academic Freedom, the First Amendment and Competing Stakeholders: The Dynamics of a Changing Balance. The Review Of Higher Education , 32 (1), 1-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/rhe.0.0036
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969).
