Protest anti-free speech Sask schools - call or write today!

A student from Wawota, Saskatchewan, received threats after talking to his fellow classmates about marijuana. As a result, members of the Saskatchewan Marijuana Party took a trip to Wawota to show their support. The students were planning to walk out to protest the infringements on free speech. So the principal put the school in lockdown mode and told the kids they would be suspended if they left the building. Kieran and his brother left and they are both suspended for three days. Kieran's mother's take on the situation, is posted in the comments section on Saskboy's blog. To summarize, Kieran is suspended because he disobeyed the lockdown order, not because he protested. I wonder what excuse the school division is going to give for authorizing the lockdown. Are a couple of dudes with a megaphone and a few signs really that scary?

News Talk Radio 980 asks the burning question:

Is it freedom of speech, or spreading the wrong message?

I guess it is wrong for a student in a public school to think that he should be allowed to examine an idea and engage in intelligent debate in order to advance his knowledge and understanding of a topic. Instead, if his opinion diverges from the mainstream, he can look forward to empty threats of police action from authority figures. If this is so-called public education, I say, burn the schools down. Without intelligent debate, public schools are nothing more than indoctrination camps.

I could understand this gross over-reaction if we were dealing with a holocaust denier or flat-earth creationist.* But Kieran has taken a position that is supported by a large number of educational and law enforcement groups.

Out of respect for the school administration I have taken the information down.

* I would not condone police action against flat-earth creationists. A little mocking from PZ would be sufficient.