On November 23rd, students across Massachusetts heard first hand accounts of battles over free speech on school campuses at Discovering Justice’s Fall Student Panel, Unpopular Speech in Schools.

Joining the virtual conversation was Mary Beth Tinker, the plaintiff in Tinker v. Des Moines, a landmark Supreme Court case that helped define student rights in schools, Kevin Dua, a teacher from Massachusetts who encourages student activism, and Mike Hiestand, Senior Legal Counsel at the Student Press Law Center, an organization focused on preserving student rights in schools under the First Amendment. Student moderator, Skylah Boyd, an 8th grader from Waltham and Courthouse Program Manager Henry Schunk moderated the panel.

The panel was attended by many students in Discovering Justice’s Mock Trial Program which featured a fictional case about unpopular speech at a Massachusetts school.

A link to watch the panel discussion will be provided. Keep an eye out for more student panel events this spring.