Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. by Cooper Byers

cooper261 — 2025-02-26 16:01:57 UTC

B. L., a Minor, By and Through Her Father, Lawrence Levy, and Her Mother, Betty Lou Levy. The Mahanoy Area School District

cooper261 — 2025-03-03 15:29:56 UTC

B.L., a student at Mahanoy Area High School (MAHS), tried out for and failed to make her high school's varsity cheerleading team, making instead only the junior varsity team. Over a weekend and away from school, she posted a picture of herself on Snapchat with an offensive caption. The photo was visible to about 250 people, many of whom were MAHS students and some of whom were cheerleaders. Several students who saw the captioned photo approached the coach and expressed concern that the snap was inappropriate. The coaches decided B.L.’s snap violated team and school rules, which B.L. had acknowledged before joining the team, and she was suspended from the junior varsity team for a year.

cooper261 — 2025-03-03 15:30:51 UTC

Does the First Amendment prohibit public school officials from regulating off-campus student speech?

cooper261 — 2025-03-03 15:54:59 UTC

The First Amendment limits but does not entirely prohibit regulation of off-campus student speech by public school officials, and, in this case, the school district’s decision to suspend B.L. from the cheerleading team for posting to social media vulgar language and gestures critical of the school violates the First Amendment. Justice Stephen Breyer authored the 8-1 majority opinion of the Court.

cooper261 — 2025-03-03 16:07:18 UTC