1. The 1960s and 1970s are often distinguished as hallmark decades for free speech and free expression in American history- the civil rights movement, feminist movement, and free speech movement all have their roots in the tumultuous Sixties and Seventies. As stated in Welner, Kim, and Biegel (2017), "In the 1960s and 1970s, free speech issues were at the forefront of education-related debates, with students asserting themselves in ways they never had before" (p. 33). The late 1960s and early 1970s were ripe with protest, specifically in response to the violent atrocities associated with the Vietnam War. Inevitably, this democratic fervor seeped into the systems and structures of K-12 public schooling. Thus, it is not surprising that this era gave birth to many of the modern constitutional debates regarding students and their First Amendment rights in public schools. In particular, this era gave birth to the landmark Supreme Court case known as Tinker v. Des Moines (1969).
2. Tinker v. Des Moines emerged from the countercultural milieu of the late Sixties: "In December 1965, a group of adults and students in Des Moines, lowa held a meeting. The group determined to publicize their objections to the hostilities in Vietnam and their support for a truce by wearing black armbands during the holiday season and by fasting on December 16 and New Year's Eve" (p. 43). Three students attending that meeting were John Tinker, 15 years old, Mary Beth Tinker, 13 years old, and Christopher Eckhardt, 16 years old. Fueled by the images they witnessed on television broadcasts, Tinker and her classmates decided to wear black armbands as a symbol of youthful resistance and patriotism. The administrators of the Des Moines Independent Community School District caught word of the upcoming protest and hastily adopted a school policy that promised to suspend any students who wore black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. On December 16 and 17, the administration attempted to squash the public display of solidarity, all three students were suspended from school indefinitely "until they would come back without their armbands" (p. 43).
3. The students' parents fought back, suing the school for violating the children's right to free speech. After a U.S. district court - and later a U.S. court of appeals - ruled against the children and their families, citing that their protest was a disruption and breeched local school standards, the case made its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The resulting decision of Tinker v. Des Moines set in motion a historical tidal wave of praise and criticism. Promising that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," the Supreme Court justices decreed a 7-2 ruling in favor of the protestors. They claimed that the students' silent and symbolic expression was protected under the U.S. Constitution, citing that all political speech in public schools remains guarded by the First Amendment so long as it does not "substantially disrupt the learning environment." In a bold move for the times, the decision claimed that "In order for [a school] to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint."
4. Tinker V. Des Moines became one of the key democratic victories of the mid-late twentieth century. The decades that followed, however, created clashing currents of belief that were captured by some of the major court cases that reinterpreted the Tinker decision. For the most part, these court cases not only stood as lasting symbols of the political beliefs of the judicial majorities involved, but also as emblems of the socio-historical climate from which they resonated. Less than 20 years after Tinker V. Des Moines, the constitutional precedents made by the landmark decision quickly dissipated, receding into a new sea of social censorship for students. Constitutional reinterpretations of Tinker in the

1. The 1960s and 1970s are often distinguished as hallmark decades for free speech and free expression in American history- the civil rights movement, feminist movement, and free speech movement all have their roots in the tumultuous Sixties and Seventies. As stated in Welner, Kim, and Biegel (2017), "In the 1960s and 1970s, free speech issues were at the forefront of education-related debates, with students asserting themselves in ways they never had before" (p. 33). The late 1960s and early 1970s were ripe with protest, specifically in response to the violent atrocities associated with the Vietnam War. Inevitably, this democratic fervor seeped into the systems and structures of K-12 public schooling. Thus, it is not surprising that this era gave birth to many of the modern constitutional debates regarding students and their First Amendment rights in public schools. In particular, this era gave birth to the landmark Supreme Court case known as Tinker v. Des Moines (1969).
2. Tinker v. Des Moines emerged from the countercultural milieu of the late Sixties: "In December 1965, a group of adults and students in Des Moines, lowa held a meeting. The group determined to publicize their objections to the hostilities in Vietnam and their support for a truce by wearing black armbands during the holiday season and by fasting on December 16 and New Year's Eve" (p. 43). Three students attending that meeting were John Tinker, 15 years old, Mary Beth Tinker, 13 years old, and Christopher Eckhardt, 16 years old. Fueled by the images they witnessed on television broadcasts, Tinker and her classmates decided to wear black armbands as a symbol of youthful resistance and patriotism. The administrators of the Des Moines Independent Community School District caught word of the upcoming protest and hastily adopted a school policy that promised to suspend any students who wore black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. On December 16 and 17, the administration attempted to squash the public display of solidarity, all three students were suspended from school indefinitely "until they would come back without their armbands" (p. 43).
3. The students' parents fought back, suing the school for violating the children's right to free speech. After a U.S. district court - and later a U.S. court of appeals - ruled against the children and their families, citing that their protest was a disruption and breeched local school standards, the case made its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The resulting decision of Tinker v. Des Moines set in motion a historical tidal wave of praise and criticism. Promising that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," the Supreme Court justices decreed a 7-2 ruling in favor of the protestors. They claimed that the students' silent and symbolic expression was protected under the U.S. Constitution, citing that all political speech in public schools remains guarded by the First Amendment so long as it does not "substantially disrupt the learning environment." In a bold move for the times, the decision claimed that "In order for [a school] to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint."
4. Tinker V. Des Moines became one of the key democratic victories of the mid-late twentieth century. The decades that followed, however, created clashing currents of belief that were captured by some of the major court cases that reinterpreted the Tinker decision. For the most part, these court cases not only stood as lasting symbols of the political beliefs of the judicial majorities involved, but also as emblems of the socio-historical climate from which they resonated. Less than 20 years after Tinker V. Des Moines, the constitutional precedents made by the landmark decision quickly dissipated, receding into a new sea of social censorship for students. Constitutional reinterpretations of Tinker in the

1. The 1960s and 1970s are often distinguished as hallmark decades for free speech and free expression in American history- the civil rights movement, feminist movement, and free speech movement all have their roots in the tumultuous Sixties and Seventies. As stated in Welner, Kim, and Biegel (2017), "In the 1960s and 1970s, free speech issues were at the forefront of education-related debates, with students asserting themselves in ways they never had before" (p. 33). The late 1960s and early 1970s were ripe with protest, specifically in response to the violent atrocities associated with the Vietnam War. Inevitably, this democratic fervor seeped into the systems and structures of K-12 public schooling. Thus, it is not surprising that this era gave birth to many of the modern constitutional debates regarding students and their First Amendment rights in public schools. In particular, this era gave birth to the landmark Supreme Court case known as Tinker v. Des Moines (1969).
2. Tinker v. Des Moines emerged from the countercultural milieu of the late Sixties: "In December 1965, a group of adults and students in Des Moines, lowa held a meeting. The group determined to publicize their objections to the hostilities in Vietnam and their support for a truce by wearing black armbands during the holiday season and by fasting on December 16 and New Year's Eve" (p. 43). Three students attending that meeting were John Tinker, 15 years old, Mary Beth Tinker, 13 years old, and Christopher Eckhardt, 16 years old. Fueled by the images they witnessed on television broadcasts, Tinker and her classmates decided to wear black armbands as a symbol of youthful resistance and patriotism. The administrators of the Des Moines Independent Community School District caught word of the upcoming protest and hastily adopted a school policy that promised to suspend any students who wore black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. On December 16 and 17, the administration attempted to squash the public display of solidarity, all three students were suspended from school indefinitely "until they would come back without their armbands" (p. 43).
3. The students' parents fought back, suing the school for violating the children's right to free speech. After a U.S. district court - and later a U.S. court of appeals - ruled against the children and their families, citing that their protest was a disruption and breeched local school standards, the case made its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The resulting decision of Tinker v. Des Moines set in motion a historical tidal wave of praise and criticism. Promising that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," the Supreme Court justices decreed a 7-2 ruling in favor of the protestors. They claimed that the students' silent and symbolic expression was protected under the U.S. Constitution, citing that all political speech in public schools remains guarded by the First Amendment so long as it does not "substantially disrupt the learning environment." In a bold move for the times, the decision claimed that "In order for [a school] to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint."
4. Tinker V. Des Moines became one of the key democratic victories of the mid-late twentieth century. The decades that followed, however, created clashing currents of belief that were captured by some of the major court cases that reinterpreted the Tinker decision. For the most part, these court cases not only stood as lasting symbols of the political beliefs of the judicial majorities involved, but also as emblems of the socio-historical climate from which they resonated. Less than 20 years after Tinker V. Des Moines, the constitutional precedents made by the landmark decision quickly dissipated, receding into a new sea of social censorship for students. Constitutional reinterpretations of Tinker in the

1. The 1960s and 1970s are often distinguished as hallmark decades for free speech and free expression in American history- the civil rights movement, feminist movement, and free speech movement all have their roots in the tumultuous Sixties and Seventies. As stated in Welner, Kim, and Biegel (2017), "In the 1960s and 1970s, free speech issues were at the forefront of education-related debates, with students asserting themselves in ways they never had before" (p. 33). The late 1960s and early 1970s were ripe with protest, specifically in response to the violent atrocities associated with the Vietnam War. Inevitably, this democratic fervor seeped into the systems and structures of K-12 public schooling. Thus, it is not surprising that this era gave birth to many of the modern constitutional debates regarding students and their First Amendment rights in public schools. In particular, this era gave birth to the landmark Supreme Court case known as Tinker v. Des Moines (1969).
2. Tinker v. Des Moines emerged from the countercultural milieu of the late Sixties: "In December 1965, a group of adults and students in Des Moines, lowa held a meeting. The group determined to publicize their objections to the hostilities in Vietnam and their support for a truce by wearing black armbands during the holiday season and by fasting on December 16 and New Year's Eve" (p. 43). Three students attending that meeting were John Tinker, 15 years old, Mary Beth Tinker, 13 years old, and Christopher Eckhardt, 16 years old. Fueled by the images they witnessed on television broadcasts, Tinker and her classmates decided to wear black armbands as a symbol of youthful resistance and patriotism. The administrators of the Des Moines Independent Community School District caught word of the upcoming protest and hastily adopted a school policy that promised to suspend any students who wore black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. On December 16 and 17, the administration attempted to squash the public display of solidarity, all three students were suspended from school indefinitely "until they would come back without their armbands" (p. 43).
3. The students' parents fought back, suing the school for violating the children's right to free speech. After a U.S. district court - and later a U.S. court of appeals - ruled against the children and their families, citing that their protest was a disruption and breeched local school standards, the case made its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The resulting decision of Tinker v. Des Moines set in motion a historical tidal wave of praise and criticism. Promising that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate," the Supreme Court justices decreed a 7-2 ruling in favor of the protestors. They claimed that the students' silent and symbolic expression was protected under the U.S. Constitution, citing that all political speech in public schools remains guarded by the First Amendment so long as it does not "substantially disrupt the learning environment." In a bold move for the times, the decision claimed that "In order for [a school] to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint."
4. Tinker V. Des Moines became one of the key democratic victories of the mid-late twentieth century. The decades that followed, however, created clashing currents of belief that were captured by some of the major court cases that reinterpreted the Tinker decision. For the most part, these court cases not only stood as lasting symbols of the political beliefs of the judicial majorities involved, but also as emblems of the socio-historical climate from which they resonated. Less than 20 years after Tinker V. Des Moines, the constitutional precedents made by the landmark decision quickly dissipated, receding into a new sea of social censorship for students. Constitutional reinterpretations of Tinker in the

1. As knowledge of climate change has expanded, so has the vocabulary surrounding the issue. Some key terms include greenhouse gas, fossil fuel, and carbon footprint. Understanding these terms can help us to recognize how changes in human activity can slow down climate change
2. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides resources on its website to help citizens better understand climate change. Most people already know that the energy provided by the sun is key to life on earth. Greenhouse gases are substances that affect the way the earth either absorbs or reflects this energy. Water vapor and carbon dioxide are two examples of greenhouse gases. These gases absorb and hold some of the sun's energy, warming the planet like a "blanket" (Basics of Climate Change, 2023). This effect is similar to the way a greenhouse traps heat to support plant life, hence the term greenhouse effect
3. Greenhouse gases are important to regulating the earth's temperature and making the planet warm enough to sustain life. Natural occurrences such as plant and animal respiration, oceanic activity, and erupting volcanoes have always released greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide When humans began extracting and burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas during the Industrial Revolution, greenhouse gas emissions rose sharply, upsetting the planet's balance and trapping too much heat. The result has been a sharp increase in the earth's temperature, leading to climate change. According to Dr. Julia Rosen, a geologist and journalist (2021), the average global temperature has risen 2:2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, with the sharpest temperature rise occurring in the last 70 years.
4. Use or plastics, especially single-use plastics, also enlarges the carbon footprint since the production of plastic requires the burning of fossil fuels and significant resulting carbon emissions. The average consumer can reduce their carbon footprint by making small changes such as recycling, reducing dependence on single use plastics, driving a fuel-efficient vehicle with lower emissions, and switching to renewable energy sources such as solar or wind energy.
5. While 2.2 degrees may not seem like much, we are seeing the effects of the earth's warming in the form of melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and severe storms (Rosen, 2021). However, scientists agree that just as human activity caused climate change, so can human activity slow it down. Individuals, corporations, and governments can take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Understanding what contributes to our carbon footprint and taking measures to reduce it are the first steps.