Familiarizing Yourself with Protesting
Know your right to freely protest in school. So long as your protesting
activities don't disrupt school functions (i.e. prevent other students from
attending class, or other faculty members from doing their jobs), you're in the
clear to speak, hand out flyers, or wear a piece of clothing in support of a
cause or organization you're for. What sorts of activities are considered
disruptive is up to the school, but censoring speech on the grounds that they
dislike it doesn't count.[1]
In the United States, students have their First Amendment right to free
speech to speak out against policies or changes they oppose. You are legally
allowed to speak on any topic you want, so let anyone who tries to stop you
know this.
Choose a topic of local concern you strongly feel needs to change. To
drum up support in the community, decide on something that's specific to your
school or district that you feel is a big enough issue to protest over. Topics
might regard the distribution of the school's budget, a dress code you disagree
with, lack of resources available to students, or unfair treatment of the
students by faculty.[2]
Addressing your school's concerns will allow you to drum up local
support among the student body and the larger community familiar with the
issues. If a community is rather artistically inclined, when it comes time to
gather signatures for keeping art programs funded, you'll have an easier time
getting help with a problem that affects everyone in town with kids.
Register your protest online with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). If
your protest is in regards to larger societal concerns, such as gun control
laws or police brutality, look into work being done by national support
networks or organizations such as the ACLU. They can help coordinate efforts
for how your school as a whole can participate in nationwide demonstrations of
solidarity.[3]
They have a listing of nationwide protests called People Power you can
add yours to, allowing others to know about your protest and come join you
Be aware of what punishments your school may use for protests. Threats
of detention or suspension are some of the most common seen during student
protests. Not every student who protests can be punished, but leaders may be
targeted in order to discourage others from following them. Keep firm in these
instances, and counter it by increasing your list of demands. Know that while
you can be punished for missing class, you being given a worse punishment based
on the nature of your protest is illegal.[4]
If you can, try not to even break rules with your protest. If you're
threatened with trespassing, nothing can be done if you're protesting on public
space, such as a sidewalk.
Have one of the leaders maintain a low profile, avoiding speech making
and drawing attention to themselves. This way, if the more outspoken leaders
are punished or detained, they can step up to lead and state that they won't
give in unless the original leaders are allowed to come back to the protest.[5]
