Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District Material

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Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District
Material property of the Arkansas Department of
Education Distance Learning Center. It may be
used for educational, non-profit use only after
contacting the ADE DLC at http//dlc.k12.ar.us AG
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In 1965, three students, including Mary Beth
Tinker and her brother, John, wore black
armbands to their high school in Des Moines,
Iowa.
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They were protesting the United States
involvement in the Vietnam War.
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The students said the armbands were silent,
symbolic speech, which expressed how they felt
about the war.
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School officials feared the armbands would lead
to violence.
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The three students were suspended for refusing to
take off the armbands.
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The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1969.
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The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the students.
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The Court said

• The school must prove that a physical disruption
  would have occurred if the armbands were allowed
  to be worn
• School officials could only censor a students
  speech if it materially and substantially
  interferes with the education, discipline or
  rights of other students

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Most famous line from the Courts ruling

• Students do not shed their constitutional rights
  at the schoolhouse gate

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The ruling of the Tinker case is the reason
students still have First Amendment rights at
school.