The issue of free speech has been at the forefront of many Americans’ minds since the birth of our nation, and free speech in schools particularly has been a hot-button issue among students for decades; from Tinker v. Des Moines in 1969 to Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. in 2021, courts have sought to define the intricacies of students’ First Amendment rights and to strike a balance between keeping students safe and allowing them to voice their opinions. 

According to Constitution Annotated, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to free speech, stating that “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” Essentially, the American government cannot interfere with or restrict the right to say, write, or otherwise voice one’s opinions or beliefs.

While the right to freedom of speech is enshrined in the Constitution, subsequent Supreme Court decisions have added some restrictions on speech that might be harmful, such as obscenities and incitements of violence, according to the United States Courts website. Madiha Sayeed (‘26), an editor of Chamblee High School’s yearbook, agreed that these speech restrictions may be necessary in some cases.

“Under certain circumstances, I can see why free speech would need to be regulated, like wartime,” said Sayeed. “I think if someone’s saying something that’s racist, [they should be punished] for that. It’s harming someone directly.”

Many students seem to agree that regulating hateful or criminal speech is necessary to ensure the safety of US citizens.

“I agree [speech] should be mostly free, but some insane statements like blatantly saying ‘I should exterminate a certain political figure…’ should be punished or at least brought up in court,” said Dani Singapuri (‘26). “If it’s encouraging violence or encouraging someone to commit a crime, [it should be regulated].”

However, some students have noticed that topics that are neither violent nor obscene may still be restricted speech in school, namely, controversial subjects like politics. 

“Whenever [the class discussion] goes into politics, [many teachers say,] ‘No, you can’t talk about it,’” said Sayeed. “I think talking about politics is part of education.”

Ms. Jennifer Andriano, an English teacher and the Yearbook Advisor at Chamblee High School, stressed the necessity of schools facilitating discussions about controversial topics in a respectful and informative way.

“I think sometimes we try to glaze over real-life issues, and that’s a problem because we are told as teachers to try and make what we teach relevant… We have to bring in what is happening in the real world,” said Ms. Andriano. “We also have to teach kids how to have [discussions about sensitive topics]… If you’re not learning that in school, then you get to be an adult [who doesn’t] know how to have these discussions. You’re never going to understand… [others’] opinions unless you’re willing to sit and listen to them.”

Many still recognize that schools intend to have students’ best interests at heart.

“[Schools] are trying to do their best to bring up each grade better than the last,” said John Greene (‘26). 

Ms. Andriano added that schools may want to avoid conflict between students, which could mean discouraging discussions about controversial or sensitive topics.

“[Schools are] trying to keep minimal confrontations from happening,” said Ms. Andriano. “We are a divided country right now, and we are very passionate about our views and our beliefs… [which] can get people very heated.”

Ms. Andriano is not alone in noticing a division of opinion among Americans: a Gallup poll reported that 80% of adult Americans believe that the nation is “greatly divided on most important issues.” While one might assume that this divide carries over to the classroom, Ms. Andriano remarked that many students, for the most part, keep their opinions about controversial topics to themselves.

“Sometimes [the division of opinion] has created more of a silence; people are worried that if they say something, it’s going to cause friction with friends or other people in the class,” said Ms. Andriano. “I actually have been finding more and more that [students] aren’t willing to give their opinions. It’s been harder to have conversations in classes because… kids don’t want other kids to view them differently because of [their beliefs].”

Regardless, many students have felt that their rights have been infringed upon in the wake of nationwide controversies regarding free speech in schools. However, many Chamblee students also believe that, in comparison with other schools, CHS offers students more freedom of speech.

“I think students don’t have a lot of free speech, especially outside of Chamblee,” said Sayeed. “I think our school is still pretty lenient compared to other schools. But… we’re not allowed to talk about a lot of things [in the yearbook].”

More broadly, some believe that, although progress can be made, America protects the right to freedom of speech more than some other countries.

“If we compare it to other countries, the U.S. is pretty [lenient on speech]; we can actually talk about policies. But I’m not saying we don’t get punished for our opinions,” said Singapuri. “I guess we’re freer than other [countries], but we’re not as free as we could be.”

According to a study conducted by The Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University, the United States ranks ninth globally for support of free speech. However, the U.S. also has had the third largest decrease in these rights since 2021. Ms. Andriano emphasized the importance of continuing discussions and supporting the right to freedom of speech.

“Everyone has opinions,” said Ms. Andriano, “and the only way we learn how to get along with people is to be able to hear them out… and to be able to say, ‘I don’t agree with that, but thank you for explaining it to me.’”