Insights, Issues & Istook

Imagine arresting a student for supporting the Second Amendment. Students who don't toe the liberal line may face arrest like a West Virginia teenager suffered. A school secretary objected to his T-shirt bearing the logo of the National Rifle Association and told him to turn it inside out. Knowing his rights, the teenager said no. He was hauled to the principal's office and ultimately arrested. The charges got thrown out of court, but now the teen's family is suing the school and its officials for violating free speech rights and unlawful arrest. Sadly, schools promoting leftist agendas often try to suppress any other values. One catchall accusation is that other students feel uncomfortable or somehow it “disrupts” the educational environment. But the same could be said about left-wing ideas. True intellectual freedom allows opposing viewpoints. That standard should not be too hard to teach, and also to follow.