In principle, American educators support the First Amendment. But when it comes to actually applying it in schools, they tend to believe that too much freedom can be a bad thing. That's one of the central findings of a new survey of public school teachers and administrators from the First Amendment Center and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

"Given the important interest educators have in discipline and safety, it isn't surprising many teachers and administrators are reluctant to risk a robust application of First Amendment freedoms by students during the school day," says Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center.

Among the study's findings:

• Almost three-quarters of educators would not allow students to report on controversial issues in school newspapers without approval from school officials.
• A majority don't think students should be allowed to distribute religious or political materials at school.
• More than 90 percent would not allow students to wear T-shirts with messages that some might find offensive.
• The vast majority of educators favor the installation of blocking software on school computers to prevent student access to potentially inappropriate or offensive Web sites.

"Educators need to be convinced that students can exercise their First Amendment rights with responsibility," says ASCD executive director Gene Carter.

First, however, teachers and administrators need a better grasp of exactly what the First Amendment guarantees. Although the educators surveyed were more knowledgeable than the general public about the five freedoms of the First Amendment, about 20 percent could not recall any of the five. (If you want to quiz yourself, stop here and try to recite them before reading on. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to petition government for redress of grievances and the right of the people to assemble peacefully.)

"The guiding principles of the First Amendment stand at the heart of our democracy and at the foundation of citizenship in a diverse society," says Ken Paulson, the First Amendment Center's executive director. "If we are to sustain this extraordinary experiment in liberty, we must resist our fear of freedom--especially among the young--and work to ensure that our schools become laboratories for democracy."

• With that in mind, the two organizations have launched a nationwide initiative titled First Amendment Schools. The multiyear project has four main objectives:
• Create guidelines for applying the five First Amendment freedoms in public schools.
• Develop model schools around the nation in which First Amendment principles are understood and applied throughout the school culture.
• Encourage curriculum reforms that reinvigorate and deepen teaching about the First Amendment in civic education.
• Educate school leaders, educators, school board attorneys and other stakeholders in public schools about the meaning and significance of First Amendment principles and ideals.

American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO - 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20001