Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• What did the Supreme Court decide about First Amendment rights in the Tinker case? (Central Ideas)
The Supreme Court ruled that students and teachers have First Amendment rights to free speech at public schools—up to a point. The justices sided with the students who wore armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. However, the Court said that schools can limit expression that might be disruptive.
• Summarize the Court’s decision in the case about group prayer. (Summarizing)
The Supreme Court ruled that the Santa Fe Independent School District could not broadcast prayers before football games. The 6-3 ruling declared that the prayers were forcing students to participate in a religious ceremony. Yet the Court pointed out that students are allowed to voluntarily pray on school grounds as long as school officials aren’t involved.
• Why did Lindsay Earls decide to sue her school district? What did the Supreme Court rule? (Key Details)
Earls decided to sue her school district because she thought that her school’s policy to drug test students involved in extracurricular activities violated the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits “unreasonable searches” of Americans. The Supreme Court sided with the school district and said the drug tests were a reasonable way for schools to maintain safety and deter drug use.