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Board to research policy after complaints about political speech in classrooms
Summary
A board member cited Garcetti v. Caballos and requested a formal policy restricting political speech in classrooms; the solicitor recommended review and suggested specifics might be best handled in executive session because of personnel implications.
A Southmoreland School District board member raised complaints from parents about what they described as political content in classrooms and asked that the district adopt a formal policy restricting political speech by staff.
The board member cited the U.S. Supreme Court case Garcetti v. Caballos when arguing teachers should not expect a First Amendment‑style forum to express personal political views in class. “It really says that teachers do not have the right to... express their personal political views in the classroom,” the member said, and asked the superintendent to research a formal policy.
The district solicitor and administration cautioned that a model policy from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) does not exist and that there are legal and factual nuances—differences between religious and political speech, between classroom subjects (for example, civics versus math), and between high school and elementary instruction. The solicitor said the district could develop a policy that would withstand First Amendment concerns and also noted that if substantiated, disciplinary options exist even without a written policy.
Because complaints had been received and specifics might involve personnel matters, the solicitor suggested discussing details in executive session. The board did not adopt a new policy at the Nov. 19 meeting but instructed administrators to gather examples and research other districts' approaches for future review.
