2. January 24, 2002, in Juneau, Alaska, 18 year old high school student, Joseph Frederick, held a banner which said “BONG Hits 4 JESUS” while watching the Olympic torch relay. He wasn’t attending a school sponsored event, and he was standing outside school grounds also. Principal Deborah Morse verbally warned Mr. Frederick to take the banner. When he refused, she seized it and suspended him for 10 days. Mr. Frederick didn’t see the banner as anything but a teenage hijinks (Roberts).

3. Morse (Principal) Frederick (Student) It happened during school hours, while teachers were in charge of watching the students. Claimed that the banner was promoting drug use, which is against the school code. Principal has right to restrict student speech at a school sponsored event. It was not a school sponsored event The banner wasn’t intended to be harmful. He saw it as a harmless joke, meant only to get attention. Against his first amendment rights (Spencer).

5. In Tinker v. Des Moines the student wearing the anti-war contra ban disrupted the work and discipline of the school. The court ruled in favor of Tinker In Bethel v. Frasier the student was suspended for using an elaborate, graphic, and explicit sexual metaphor in a high school assembly speech. The court ruled in favor of the school because the school can choose what manner of speech is inappropriate (Spencer).

6. As a group we believe that this was a harmless joke played by a student seeking attention. We feel that the school overreacted by suspending the student for ten days. The fact that this case made it to the courts at all, seems to be the schools fault for the suspension.

7. Roberts, C. J. “Supreme Court of the United State: Morse v. Frederick. Cornell University Law School. Web. 8 December 2010 Spencer, Jamie. “Morse v. Frederick: Bong hits 4 Jesus.” Austin Defense. 18 ‘ March 2007. Web. 8 December 2010. “Supreme Court Rulings.” Law.Duke.edu. 25 June 2007. Web. 8 December 2010.