Era of Permissiveness
“I think these days young people have something to teach their parents and teachers.”
- Mrs. Lorena Tinker
This landmark trial-Tinker v. Des Moines-was the first Supreme Court ruling in history providing students with free speech rights on public school grounds.
"What George Washington and the boys did for white males in 1776, what Abraham Lincoln did to a certain extent during the time of the Civil War for African-American males, what the women's suffrage movement in the 1920's did for women, the Tinker case did for children in America." |
“Within a year of the decision we saw dress codes relaxed, hair codes relaxed. Justice Black was correct in his dissent when he said the decision would usher in a new era of permissiveness.” |
Legacy
"Standing up for what is right isn’t always popular.” |
No small feat, the courage of these three students to remain respectful to others with peaceful expressions of their beliefs is the ongoing legacy not only in courts as the Tinker standard, but an inspiration to all students for civilized discussions of disagreements.
|
This ruling ushered an era of progressive schools allowing student participation and the ability to exercise rights in a democratic way, making schools the marketplace for ideas where education and democracy thrives.
Bicentinnial Reflections - the Des Moines School District,1976. Author - Dr. Robert R. Denny, Assistant Superintendent - Click to enlarge.
|
Personal Interview with Mary Beth Tinker- Answering to Impact of Tinker Ruling - Click to Play
Roundup news, 1992 Source: Tinker v. Des Moines Student Rights on Trial by Doreen Rappaport - Click to enlarge
|