School is not prison; in 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that students and teachers do not shed their rights when they come to school. Some students, however, are not always aware of their rights.

“We have the right to learn, but that’s it,” junior Denzal Allen said.

On page 12, the school agenda list students’ basic rights, including the right to be informed of the rules, the right to participate in student government and the right to free speech and expression.

The First Amendment also guarantees students freedom of the press. Student journalists run The King’s Page, which encourages all students to exercise their freedom of speech and expressionparticipate by putting story topics, poems or editorial cartoons and letters to the editor in The King’s Page mailbox, located just inside the attendance office. This right protects students and their work from censorship.

“Students need to realize the newspaper was created to be an outlet for them to publicly express themselves,” senior Ashley Reum, editor in chief, said.

Aside from the school newspaper, student government offers students the opportunity to have a say in their education. 

“We don’t want to create a dictatorship in school,” IB English teacher and student government adviser Cassandra Magar said. 

Student government participants receive an education in their basic rights before they take office.

“It’s one of the first things we learn, our rights and the rules and responsibilities we have in the student government. It’s important that we help our peers know what their rights are. It’s one of the things we signed up for,” junior president Shakiyla Greer said. 

Page 24 of the agenda has a short section on having a voice in the school, which includes information about SGA and the King’s Page, including the newspaper’s schedule and deadlines for submissions.

The Fourth Amendment protects both students and teachers from unreasonable searches and seizures. This includes the searching of backpacks, purses and lockers on school grounds. While school officials do not need a warrant to search students’ possessions, they must have reasonable suspicion that students have violated school rules.

“I don’t believe that there is a kid in this school who doesn’t understand their rights to an excellent education,” principal Marie Newby-Randle said.   

Students’ rights can be limited, most commonly from “in loco parentis.” The Latin phrase allows the school to act as a parent when children remain in the custody of the school. The school can make decisions outside normal government regulations.

Students’ rights may also be limited by the school’s overall goal, to educate. The educational process is the school’s first priority, and anything that interferes with this process can be suppressed.

Private schools do not adhere to the same rules and regulations as public schools. They do not subject themselves to the laws set by the Constitution but are protected by contract law, which holds students accountable for their actions. If a student does not follow the rules of the contract, they face consequences.

“I want to be able to come to school and know that my rights will be respected.  They are at King, and that’s a good thing,” junior Paris Brown said.