By: Saada Andani & Sarah Young
November 26, 2025
On August 18, 2025 three Philadelphia teachers sued against the Philadelphia School District accusing the district of violating their first amendment right after protesting against asbestos in the school. Ethann Tannen and Caroyln Gray, who are current teachers at Mastermen along with Karen Celli who retired in 2023, claim in a lawsuit that the school docked their pay because they protested against asbestos in schools.Two schools had to close in April of last year because of it. The class members suffered damage as a result of the district's retaliatory actions in the form of loss of first amendment freedoms.
"Those teachers were not 'absent'. The district knew that and knew they were working," Mary Catherine Roper, an attorney who represents all three teachers, said to ABC News in a statement on Sept. 13. "The district wanted to stop the protest and not let their voices be heard, so they threatened the teachers and then punished them. That violates the First Amendment."
While there have been clear cases of free speech violations in the School District of Philadelphia, some students are unclear about what is protected by our right to free speech. This year, students at Carver have been facing problems with what they believe can and cannot be said regarding their first amendment right in school.
Jayden Gonzolaz, a sophomore at Carver, has faced a notable amount of disciplinary repercussions at school in regards to his speech. At times, he’s believed that he was wrongfully treated because he felt his words were warranted. After getting suspended for his comments during an argument with another student, Jayden voiced his opinion on why he thought his freedom of speech was violated, when in reality it wasn’t.
“He was disrespecting me first, and he ain’t get in trouble. So why should I suffer any consequences?” asked Gonzolaz.
After helping students for years with their behavior Dr.Neal, a counselor at Carver, shared what he thinks about students’ understanding on what free speech is, especially in a school setting. He knows that students may get the wrong idea when it comes to expressing themselves and knowing what to say and what not to say to a certain extent in a school environment.
“I think a lot of times students do but they don’t. I think they understand that free speech is a thing but I think sometimes it’s about the appropriate setting, right? And then knowing what those kinds of limitations are within that particular setting” said Dr. Neal.
According to the First Amendment, there are some restrictions when it comes to it in a school setting. In Jayden’s case, his language was considered lewd and obscene, making it unprotected by law. Teachers are allowed to give disciplinary actions as they see fit.
Another sophomore at Carver, Kayden Kelly, is one of many who isn’t aware of laws pertaining to school.
“To be honest, if I was more aware of whatever the laws and rules were, I probably would’ve went about my actions differently,” said Kelly.
It’s important to educate students on the regulations of their setting because although they might feel invalidated, that isn’t always reality. Awareness in these laws could potentially lead to less mishaps, especially in school.
“It probably is something kids need a little more insight on. I definitely need it.” said Kelly.
The mentioning and promotion of drugs, vulgar language, and disruptive speech is not protected by the first amendment in schools. Threats against others or a population are also not protected. Students should take these into consideration before speaking because not everything they say is warranted or allowed.
Free speech is great to have but students should get used to the idea that everything has its limits.
”Knowledge is power and now I have the knowledge to shut up when I need to in school” said student Kayden Kelly.
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