Our sophomore class wanted to protest the bad conditions of the public schools in our city. We asked the principal if we could picket on the steps in front of the school. He said no because that would block the entrance to the building. Can he do that? Yes, he can, if your protest really would block entrance to the school building. But what if we picketed somewhere that didn’t block the entrance and if we only protested before and after classes? Shouldn’t we be allowed to do that? You do have the right to hold protests and demonstrations. But, the school can restrict where you protest on school property and can stop you from demonstrating if it interferes with school activities. If you miss classes for a protest, the school can discipline you for cutting class. Remember: A demonstration outside the school building has a better chance of being found legal than one inside the building. Sidewalks around the school are areas where protests usually must be allowed. If it’s a protest about something important, especially related to school operations, then it’s more likely to be constitutionally protected speech.
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