So I was looking through the Bill of Rights today - You know, the document that guarantees Americans their basic freedoms? - and I started crossing off those rights denied to high school students while in school. Well, I was left with two, maybe three. And they're the ones you've probably never heard of. Here's what did and didn't make the cut.
I. Freedom of Speech - Nope. We can get detentions for "talking back to teachers" and we can't wear clothes with sexually explicit, violence or gun promoting, or offensive slogans.
Freedom of the Press - Not Really. The Supreme Court has determined that school administrations have the right to silence student presses if they could cause a disruption to the educational process. Censorship is entirely legal.
Freedom of Religion - No need to hammer this one out. Kids have been suspended for praying out loud in school.
Freedom to peaceably assemble - I think any petitioning to the administration for a redress of grievances would be pretty futile. We'd probably just get tardy slips.
II. Right to bear arms - Completely nonexistent, although with good reason.
III. Protection against Quartering of Troops - Ok, I've never been asked to Quarter U.S. soldiers in my homeroom, and nor has anyone I know. So we'l say we do have this one.
IV. Protection against unreasonable search and seizure - Warantless police officers have been known to search lockers (The only private space a student has) for drugs. I say no.
V. The Right to Remain silent - Well, there are no courts at school, but if I'm brought into the Dean's office and asked why I wasn't in class Tuesday, and I reply, "I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may serve to incriminate me," they'll treat it the same as if I'd said I was skipping.
Protection against double jeopardy - Again, there's no "tried", but students can get punished multiple times for the same offense. For instance, truancy can be punished by each teacher who's class was missed.
VI. The Right to A Speedy, Public Trial by a jury of peers - Nope. In school there's no such thing as "due process of law" and if we get sent to a court outside of school (like Juve Court) we are still not tried by a jury of our peers. At best, it'll be a jury of much older people.
VII. Trial by jury in common law suits - I'd have to check, but I don't believe a high-school student can sue without his or her parents' help. We'll call this a maybe.
VIII. Protection against Cruel and Unusual Punishment - Well, those Character Raps are pretty bad... No seriously, we aren't punished cruelly and unusually, or charged excessive bales. I'll have to concede this one.
IX. Rights not here enumerated - This is basically just a clause saying that just because a right isn't in there doesn't mean we don't have it. It doesn't really apply to the discussion at hand.
X. State's Rights - Not being an individual right, this isn't applicable either.
So, out of the whole Bill of Rights we have two yeses, two not applicables, one maybe, and five nos. This is not a good breakdown for so-called U.S. citizens. We are also denied the right to elect our leaders, another pillar of democracy. Why must such an inclusive, democratic society exclude it's own youth from the principals they hold dear? How can they hold such a double standard? How can they justify the flagrant disregard for our constitution in the name of good education? Is not the purpose of the educational system to teach us to be productive members of American society? When women and African Americans have come so far, where is the children's suffrage movement? Where is our Civil Rights movement?
It's swallowed up by youthful arrogance and apathy. After all, being young is a temporary condition, unlike being black or female. Why fight for your rights when they'll come along anyway in five or ten years? And why fight for your children's rights later? They're just whiny little kids. These are the attitudes that stop social change, and there is nothing we can do about them. It's really a shame, but hey, it's only for two more years.
