Introduction. Since the First Amendment has given students the opportunity to explore the conflict between the government's exercise of power and the rights of individuals, courts have also recognized students' rights guaranteed by the amendment. Courts have balanced First Amendment rights with the need for schools to teach without disruption caused by free speech because exercising those rights could interfere with learning. Most school administrators indicate that schools should strengthen immunity and freedom of expression because the exchange of thoughts and ideas is extremely important in a learning environment. Right to freedom of expression. The free speech leaflet for students emphasizes that school publications cannot print obscenities or defamatory statements. , statements that will disrupt the educational process, or statements that tend to constitute an invasion of privacy. The First Circuit Court of Appeals decided in Yeo v. Lexington in 1997, that high school journalists in Lexington, Massachusetts, had the right to refuse advertisements submitted to their publications (Hinchey 2001). The court said there was no legal duty for school administrators to control the content of the editorial judgments of student editors of publications. The court ruled that the decisions made by the student editor were not attributable to the school. The case of Castorina v. Madison Country Board. In this case, the students wore a controversial seal on their shirts. The character preached racism even though students insisted he represented their culture. The principal orders the students to go home or expose their clothes inside out for the rest of the day. He maintains that any obscene, disrespectful clothing or object is middle of paper....../filtering /individual.htmA guide for educators - Filtering - Individual rights. (nd). College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved October 5, 2011 from http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/censorship/filtering/individual.htm Hinchey, PH (2001). Student rights: a reference manual. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. McCabe, NH, McCarthy, MM, & Thomas, SB (2004). Public school law: rights of teachers and students (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson A and B. Schwartz, E.G. (2006). American Students Organize: The Founding of the National Student Association after World War II: An Anthology and Reference Book. Westport, CT: American Council On Education/Praeger. Expression rights of public school students. (nd). UMKC School of Law. Accessed October 5, 2011, from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/studentspeech.htm