Teachers & Students Speech Rights
The Issue
Teachers and students have limited rights to freedom of expression. The restrictions on teachers are unique in that they apply not only in their work at school but also in their personal lives. Limiting the right to speak, to express their views, and to question conventional wisdom and popular ideology implicitly teaches about society’s lack of commitment to civil liberties.
Why It Matters
Two basic purposes of education are the development of critical thinking skills and preparation for being an active citizen in democratic society. Our schools undermine these objectives when they offer instruction but fail to be models of democratic values.
Our Work
The Centre for Free Expression is exploring the extent of restrictions on speech rights of teachers and students in Canadian schools. It is fostering discussions with educators and the public about how schools can better achieve their educational objectives through enhanced freedom of expression rights for teachers and students.
Resources
What Were They Thinking?
Sometimes, you just have to wonder what is happening in Canada’s schools. As it turns out, October was quite the month for people who think about freedom of expression in education.
When politics trumps teachers’ professional judgment, students and society lose
Freedom of Expression is an important foundation of a democratic society and protected as a “fundamental freedom” in Section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and under the First
Should Personal Taste in Music Imperil Employment?
How much decorum should parents expect from their children’s high school principal? Should she have to commit to a dress code?
Who Gets to Tell Your Kids to Shut Up?
Remember when you were in high school and you got angry about a decision made by a teacher, team coach or principal?
Teaching in the Shadow of Conspiracy Theories
Some years ago, a high school history teacher I know told me that he had received an essay that supported Holocaust denial.
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