When 14-year-old Brandi Levy had a temper tantrum on Snapchat four years ago,
little did she know she would pay for her outburst and become the poster child for off-campus free speech rights. The former high school cheerleader was punished for her online conniption by Pennsylvania’s Mahanoy Area High School, and
whether school authorities had the right to discipline her has been argued on up the legal food chain to the U.S. Supreme Court. In what many are saying will likely prove to be a “momentous decision,” Levy has landed at the center of the free speech maelstrom.
Cheerleader s profane Snapchat could define free speech off-campus
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Brandi Levy, who was upset that she didn t advance from the junior varsity to the varsity cheerleading squad, was punished by her school after sending a profane Snapchat to 250 friends while she was hanging out at a local convenience store on a Saturday. Photo by Danna Singer/Provided by the ACLU
Some religious liberty groups are backing Brandi Levy, who is now 18, in her case, which is going before the U.S. Supreme Court. Photo by Danna Singer/Provided by the ACLU
April 28 (UPI) The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday on whether a Pennsylvania student s First Amendment rights were violated when school officials punished her for making a profanity-filled social media post on a weekend.
U S Supreme Court hears case of Schuylkill County Cheerleader who was suspended from team for Snapchat post mcall.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mcall.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
“I want the court to understand that this is how kids today express themselves and that they should be able to do that without worrying about being punished at school.”
Several of the justices seemed hesitant to give a school full authority to punish students for speech that occurs off campus. Others expressed concerns about the impact on policing off-campus bullying.
“She used swear words, you know, unattractive swear words, off campus. Did that cause a material and substantial disruption? I don’t see much evidence it did. And if swearing off campus did, I mean, my goodness, every school in the country would be doing nothing but punishing,” said Justice Stephen G. Breyer, a Clinton appointee.