Comments on: First Amendment rights are for middle-schoolers, too

By: vhaecky

vhaecky — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:29:03 +0000

Ah, so there is a lot more content and complexity to this play than earlier posts made me think. So, I go with the Coalition on this one. Nobody is forced to watch the play, and parents can, as far as I know, opt not to have their children participate in the activity. If in doubt, which is often, I always side with less restriction.

By: Satchel

Satchel — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:05:04 +0000

The devil, as always, is in the details. “Detrimental to educational values” is very much in the eye of the beholder, as is, unfortunately, “proper process.” As far as I’ve been able to tell, none of this is completely black and white.

It’s been fascinating to both observe and participate as the community struggles with these issues in real time. Ideally everyone would gain a bit of insight into their own motivations and empathy for the beliefs of others as a result — but I’m not holding my breath.

By: Pistol Pete

Pistol Pete — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:24:26 +0000

While I am not familiar with this play, I would contend that parents and community members certainly do have the right to impact decisions of what plays are performed within a school system. If it is deemed obscene or detrimental to educational values, it can be appropriately restricted, assuming the proper process is followed.

For example, the public could (and should) block a black-face minstrel show from being performed.