Can Schools Punish Students’ Free Speech, Even Outside of School?

In the supreme court case Mahanoy Area HS V. B.L, a student at MAHS, named B.L, tried out for the cheerleading team and made junior varsity. However, she had been aiming for varsity and was upset that she didn't make it. Over the following weekend, she posted a picture of herself on Snapchat with the caption, “Fuck school Fuck softball Fuck Cheer Fuck everything.” Around 250 other people saw this, including many other students and cheerleaders. Some of them brought the picture to the attention of the cheerleading coach, and expressed concerns that the Snap was inappropriate. The coach decided that B.L had violated the team and school rules, which she had previously accepted before joining cheer, and he suspended her from cheerleading for a year. In retaliation, BL sued the school, arguing that the school rules violated her first amendment rights by punishing her for her speech. <a href="https://medium.com/@AveryTsao/students-in-school-have-often-made-vulgar-jokes-and-humorously-defended-them-by-citing-their-right-c1c3a6e3c782">Read More</a>