04/20/22
By Andrew McKay
At yesterday’s Escambia County School Board meeting, several students from Pensacola High School and others protested the planned adoption of a new Rights and Responsibilities Handbook by the District because it specifically included section AA in the Level 2 Disciplinary Offenses with this verbiage:
Title: Unauthorized Assembly, Publications, etc.
Body: Demonstrations, petitions, possession and/or distribution of unauthorized publications, or misuse of electronic messages or computers which interfere with the orderly process of the school environment, a school function, or an extra-curricular/co-curricular activity.
After the students gave passionate speeches against this change, the Board, at the suggestion of their attorney Ellen Odom, moved unanimously to adopt language that would clarify these First Amendment rights are protected until the point where the actions disrupt the orderly conduct of school activities.
Resources
Read the proposed Handbook here, (page 67 has the item)
Watch the video:
Students Speak in open forum: Around 1:53 mark
School Board discusses the item: Around 2:35 mark