A student’s voice is like a breath to any living being – a right that is undeniably needed. Without it, they gasp yet inevitably suffocate to administrators silencing their input. So why does this happen? Why silence the opinion of the future of our country? The Supreme Court will tell you that the school setting is a setting that is different from society. A setting where the right of the student is not synonymous to the right of an adult.

We the Eagle’s View staff feel that the New Voice Act may be the constitutional legislation that avoids succumbing to the will of an all too powerful government. The Editorial Staff of The Lion’s Tale Newspaper writes, “The rights of students to publish a newspaper without censorship by the school is essential. Just like the national media has a role to play in educating the public, so too do student newspapers provide important information to their readers. Just as The Washington Post is the watchdog of the federal government, so are student publications the watchdogs of the school.” Without the ability to release the secrets, the flaws, the good and the bad, school newspaper is just another club to pass time.

It’s the school environment that is most important to ensure a democratic society continues in America. Students take what they learn from school and ideally apply it to everyday life. Because of this, 1st amendment rights in schools are a necessity. Sarah Forman, Assistant Professor at The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law writes that  “public schools [are] a most vital civic institution for the preservation of a democratic system of government” and that “education is necessary to prepare citizens to participate effectively and intelligently in our open political system . . . .” The New Voice Act is legislation that would consequently cause the 1st amendment to be applicable in a school setting. It would cause school newspapers like “The Eagle’s View” to mirror professional newspapers like the “New York Times”.