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I think people are a little quick on the first amendment, PC trigger. Essentially the article says that two advisers "implored students" to stop and a number of classes talked about the controversy. Would you argue that those advisers have the first amendment right to say, "show some class you morons!?"
You might want to save some vitriol for when they kick the students out (which is a different conversation) or demand that they shout sayings in support of gay marriage.
As a public school teacher in California, I am bound by law to protect students from feeling discriminated-against or harassed based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual-orientation - and students don't have to be directly in the line of fire to feel discriminated against so I have to cover all bases. I will admit that 95% of my energy goes into protecting discrimination directed at women and gays. I would be happy to stand up equally for whites, blacks and baptists but the students don't seem to choose to direct their speech in that direction.
I am a strong beliver in the first amendment and have helped my journalism students serve Freedom of Information Act papers on the school district (not a particularly comfortable experience). I also support the right of students to go out and start a junior Klan if they wish (no violence allowed). They can also use the rights set forth by the constitution to stand on the corner and yell, "the constitution sucks!" But a school has a right to decide how it will deal with discrimination and the measure is not whether someone decides to go start a fist fight.
[Edited by bebanovich on Feb 15th, 2006 at 01:56 PM]
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