Civics Skills: How the Supreme Court’s Tinker Ruling Affects Students | Retro Report

In what ways can students act as agents of change? In 1965, several students in Des Moines, Iowa decided to protest the war in Vietnam. Mary Beth Tinker, her brother John, and Christoper Eckhardt decided to engage in a symbolic protest, wearing black armbands with a white peace symbol. Their school district took disciplinary action against them. The students waged a legal battle that rose to the Supreme Court, laying the foundation for recognition that public school students have a right to engage in protests that is protected under the First Amendment.

About the Author:

David Kendrick teaches AP Human Geography, American Government/Civics, and United States History at Loganville High School in Loganville, Georgia. He is an elected member of the National Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Council for the Social Studies as a past president and its historian.