If you were a high school teacher, what posters and inspirational items would you put up in your classroom? What if at your school, “no posters” was not an option, and you were expected to make some personal statement to your students and peers? The next question you may have to ask is what are the limits your employer can place on what you say? What rights does the administration itself have in this scenario?
The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals is considering this very question in Johnson v. Poway Unified School District, a case that could provide answers not only to this question but to a number of others bearing on what First Amendment free-speech rights teachers have. The Ninth Circuit heard oral argument on May 5 and will soon issue a decision.
