Thomas More Society Responds to School's New Restrictive Policy

Contact: Tom Ciesielka, 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net

TACOMA, Wash., Feb. 27, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Wilson Students for Life, led by student Bryce Asberg, has received a response from Wilson High School administration that offers a partial resolution to the group's complaints: events requested by Wilson Students for Life are now approved, but all student groups have lost the right to post expressive posters throughout the school. This response follows on concerns raised by Asberg's attorneys from the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, national counsel of Students for Life of America. Two weeks ago, Thomas More Society, along with Washington attorney Theresa Schrempp, sent a letter demanding that the school end its discriminatory treatment of the pro-life student group, which had faced consistent obstacles when trying to get approval for events and posters.

Asberg and his parents met with the principal on February 24, to discuss resolving the discrimination against Wilson Students For Life. The principal granted the group's request to hold a pro-life Day of Silence at their high school, and also officially notified Wilson Students for Life of its approval to host a diaper drive, collecting diapers for a local pregnancy center. Asberg is continuing to work with the principal to get these two events scheduled for specific dates, with the hope of having the Day of Silence on March 4, 2014.

However, in response to Wilson Students for Life's request to be allowed to hang its pro-life posters, the school decided this week to prohibit all groups from hanging posters containing any graphics, opinions, or other expressive text. The principal's proposal only allows posters to have meeting or event information on them, banning all other messages. The effect of this policy is that the expressive nature of any student group's speech will be limited to the audience that actually attends the meetings or events, with no ability to provoke thought or spark debate with the viewers of the poster who would likely not attend the actual event.

"The new restrictive speech policy by the Wilson High School administration teaches a harmful message to their students," said Peter Breen, Vice President and Senior Counsel of the Thomas More Society. "Instead of showing these young citizens the value of the robust exchange of ideas guaranteed by the First Amendment, the school officials are teaching that the government will go to great lengths to silence messages that it opposes, including the pro-life message. Is that the lesson we want these future voters to take to heart?"

After the meeting, Asberg expressed his concerns to the principal that the new policy would communicate to students that when speech causes conflict, it's okay for the school to simply shut it down. "While there is equality under this new policy, no one's voice will be heard," said Asberg, president of Wilson Students for Life. Asberg instead suggested implementing an alternative that would allow limitation on the number of posters displayed by a group at any one time, rather than a ban on all messages.

"While we are pleased that the Wilson High School administration is now allowing Wilson Students for Life's events to proceed, we are disappointed that the school has chosen to implement a policy that will limit every student's ability to publicly advocate for causes they believe in, simply to avoid the pro-life message," said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America. "They are sending a message to all Wilson High students that if they stand up for their rights, everyone's will be taken away. How can Wilson High School say it is preparing students for the 'real world' when they won't allow important issues, issues that directly affect young people, to be discussed in the public square?"

For interviews with Students for Life of America or with Wilson High School student Bryce Asberg, contact Kristan Hawkins: 240.678.9620, Kristan@studentsforlife.org.

For interviews with Thomas More Society attorneys, contact Tom Ciesielka, TC Public Relations: 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net.

About the Thomas More Society
Thomas More Society is a national not-for-profit law firm that exists to restore respect in law for life, marriage, and religious liberty. Headquartered in Chicago, the Society fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro-bono professional legal services from local trial courts all the way to the United States Supreme Court. www.thomasmoresociety.org

About Students for Life of America
Students for Life of America is dedicated to ending abortion by educating students about the issues of abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide; identifying pro-life student leaders; equipping student pro-lifers with the training, skills and resources to be effective and successful; and promoting student activity to other local, college and national organizations.