1st Amendment Extra Credit

For 5 Points Extra Credit On the 1st Amendment Test Complete the following Assignment

Here is an Article I found in the Sun-Sentinel. Read the article and then answer the questions that follow.

Former Pembroke Pines student sues principal over Facebook suspension

By Akilah Johnson | South Florida Sun-Sentinel 
December 9, 2008

A former Pembroke Pines Charter High School student filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the school's principal, alleging that he violated her first-amendment rights by suspending her for creating a Facebook page that criticized one of her teachers.

Katherine Evans called her Advanced Placement English teacher "the worst teacher I've ever met!" on a page she created on the popular social networking site in November 2007 when she was a senior in high school, said the suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Evans asked classmates to "express your feelings of hatred" by posting comments on the page, the suit said.

Instead, three students criticized Evans for creating the page, and she took it down two days later.

Charles Dodge, superintendent of the Pembroke Pines charter school system, said he was unaware of the suit filed in U.S. District Court by the American Civil Liberties Union on Evans' behalf.

According to the lawsuit, when Principal Peter Bayer learned of the online missive, he suspended Evans for three days, calling the Web page cyber-bullying harassment toward a staff member and disruptive behavior.

The school pulled Evans from her advanced placement classes and forced her into "lesser-weighted honors classes ... [and the school] unjustifiably besmirched Plaintiff’s academic record," the lawsuit claims.

The suit seeks to have the suspension removed from Evans' permanent record.

Questions

Pretend you are the Judge who is going to have to decide this case. Give your final verdict about which side you think is correct. Your decision is between the following two things; (A) either you are on the principal's side and you think that the student violated the anti-bullying policy and should have been suspended. Or, (B) you are on the student's side and you think that the principal violated the students first amendment rights. Your answer must be at least 2 complete paragraphs long, explain why you made your decision, and must use specific examples from either the 1st Amendment or the District's Anti-Bullying Policy. (You can review the policy by clicking here)

This Extra Credit is Due by the end of the Week.