What the heck? Howard Bashman reports that the First Circuit has just decided that third graders do not have a First Amendment right to circulate petitions while at school. Howard cites a concurring opinion:
Moreover, an eight- or nine-year old child might not be able to resist the peer pressure to sign a petition and thus might do so even if the petition advocates a position with which he or she does not agree. In any event, a child of such age should not be confronted with having to make the choice to sign or not sign.
In other words, the role of a school is to protect children from having to make choices for themselves, and shelter them from the pernicious effect of petition-passer peer pressure. Because, after all, sheltering them from peer pressure in third grade over non-consequential items like animal-rights petitions will really equip them to deal with peer pressure over drinking, sex. and drugs when they get older.
Sigh.
I guess that's a judge who never had kids.
Posted by wasylik at April 16, 2003 09:10 PM | TrackBack