Tinker vs. Des Moines

Multiple Choice

Why were John and Mary Beth Tinker suspended?

• Because they were late to school

• Because they wore black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War

• Because they disrupted class

• Because they violated the dress code

Multiple Choice

Why did the Supreme Court find their suspension unconstitutional?

• Because the school district did not prove that the armbands caused substantial disruption

• Because the Supreme Court disagreed with the school district's policy

• Because the armbands were considered a form of hate speech

• Because the school district banned all political symbols

Multiple Choice

Do you think that armbands worn in protest are the same as 'speech'? Why or why not?

• Yes, because they convey a message or expression

• No, because they are just accessories

• Yes, because they are a form of non-verbal communication

• No, because they do not involve spoken words

Multiple Choice

What did Justice Fortas mean when he said, 'It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate'?

• Students and teachers have the right to freedom of speech only outside of school

• Students and teachers have the right to freedom of speech everywhere, including school

• Students and teachers have limited freedom of speech at school

• Students and teachers have the right to freedom of speech, but it can be restricted at school

Multiple Choice

What did the Court note about the school district's prohibition of the armbands?

• The school district banned all forms of political speech

• The school district banned all forms of symbolic speech

• The school district singled out the armbands for prohibition

• The school district allowed all forms of controversial speech

Multiple Choice

What was the outcome of the Tinker v. Des Moines case?

• The Supreme Court upheld the school district's ban on armbands

• The Supreme Court ruled that students have no freedom of speech in school

• The Supreme Court found the school district's action unconstitutional

• The Supreme Court ruled that students cannot express their views in school