Politics in the classroom: where to draw the line

In a primarily Liberal city saturated with activism and progressivism, it is often easy to forget the range of political views that exist. As one walks the streets of Santa Monica or scrolls through their Instagram feed, they are almost guaranteed to see some sort of political propaganda, but there is one place in which the slate should be wiped clean and no belief should be extorted: school. A school is traditionally a place of education, a location in which facts are taught as well as the skills to analyze and develop one’s own opinions. In essence, a school should be a place free of bias and partisanship, and a safe haven for formulating individualistic opinions. This is where the fine line of acceptable politics in the classroom emerges, one which is often abused by teachers. In certain classes, the curriculum involves controversial topics of history or politics such as AP Government and AP United States History; that is a setting in which the dialogue of opinions is vital, except it should be solely between students and their developing opinions. The job of an educator in that situation is to present ideas, facilitate decorum and invite new speakers, but at no point should they inflict their own opinions onto the students. Embracing controversial issues and allowing an open forum for students to discuss is beneficial; the indoctrination of one’s opinions onto malleable young minds is not. This is not to assume that young adults are too naive to uphold their own opinions in the face of opposition, it is just that they deserve a safe haven to develop their own beliefs. The adult in the room is clearly in a position of power, and to say a student would comfortably voice a position in disagreement with that teacher is simply fiction. Specifically, at our own school, if a teacher voices a leftist opinion, although it may align with the majority, it will likely stir discomfort with those who stand with the minority opinion. Every student, regardless of political stance should feel comfortable in the classroom with their teacher, the same person assigning them a grade. They should not be afraid of being judged or stereotyped. While public educators have an absolute right to their political beliefs, they do not have a right to impose those beliefs onto students. This conflict of interest is exactly why previous instances of this propagandism have been brought to the Supreme Court. A few examples include Weingarten v. Board of Education, in which the court upheld a school district’s ban on employees wearing political buttons at school, and the 2007 Seventh Circuit which held that a teacher’s expression of her opposition to the war in Iraq, during a discussion with her students, was not constitutionally protected. All across the country there have been rulings upholding bans on any political promotion. The idea is to maintain balance and a sense of equality; so again, students should just be presented with information and given freedom to formulate their own, unique opinions. Personally I have experienced this type of behavior throughout my many years of schooling. While I, a politically active person, welcome discourse among my peers, I feel a conflict of interest when my teacher adds their own insight during a class period that should be devoted to learning. Despite identifying on the more liberal side of the spectrum, I am disheartened to hear anti-Trump policy comments or blatant slander of conservative views in the middle of my math class. Those 55 minutes should solely be devoted to our education. Outside of school hours, a teacher can express their political stances however they may please, but a traditional classroom setting is far from appropriate. When a teacher boasts about a classroom of acceptance and freedom, they are expected to uphold that by enabling the creation of thoughts, free from adult intervention.