Students from Bellport High School's AP Government and Introduction to
Law classes recently attended the "Icons of Freedom III" event at Stony
Brook University. With 500 students from 17 High Schools across Long
Island in attendance, the event, presented by Stony Brook University in
partnership with Law, Youth and Citizenship Program of the NY State Bar
Association, featured speakers from two landmark Supreme Court cases
that changed the education laws in the United States.
Mary Beth Tinker and Cathy Kuhlmeier, plaintiffs in landmark Supreme
Court First Amendment cases, and attorney Frank LoMonte, First Amendment
scholar and Executive Director of the Student Press Law Center, an
advocate for student First Amendment rights, addressed the students.
Ms. Tinker spoke about her landmark case, Tinker v. DesMoines and Ms.
Kuhlmeier spoke about the landmark case, Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier.
Together with Mr. LoMonte, the impact of the cases on high school
freedom of press and their efforts to get legislation passed in all 50
states to protect student journalists was discussed.
High School senior Abbie Veitch had the opportunity to ask a question
about the concept of prior review, and her question was later quoted by
Mr. LoMonte - the only student asked question to be mentioned again in
the presentations.