In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation establishing the SPEAKS Act to protect Pennsylvania’s students from having their right to free speech infringed upon by educational institutions.

Litigation in the K-12 space is bleeding over from higher education free speech issues. Students are often unaware of their personal rights regarding freedom of personal expression and political speech is stifled far too often in our educational system. Infringement on first amendment rights has led to costly lawsuits aimed at our institutions when straight forward guidelines would dissuade these issues from occurring. For example, schools across the nation have increasingly denied after-school TPUSA Clubs for students, often with political bias and unfair application of district policies. Students should not be punished for having one political viewpoint if other political expression is allowed.

We need guiding legislation so that schools know what they can and cannot do regarding personal expression by students in our primary and secondary schools. That is why I will be introducing the Safeguarding Personal Expression in K-12 Schools (SPEAKS) Act. Students and school officials need clear rules on free speech protection and guidance on how to apply district policies to ensure fair treatment of students from all political backgrounds. 

Our founding fathers did not enshrine freedom of political expression in the Constitution just to have our students lose that right because of unfair bias in our education system. The SPEAKS act will protect our students and their rights.

Please consider joining me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation aimed at protecting freedom of expression for our students.