A recent FOX News commentary on TV labeled the spouses of American troops as patriots.\nThough the spouses' struggles must be great, the conservative program's reasoning was alarming.\nIt said they were patriots because they didn't speak up. They were patriots because they kept quiet. That's missing the point, entirely.\n The same thing happened twice in New Mexico schools last week when four teachers were suspended in two different school districts for allowing opinions on the war to be displayed in their classrooms. The four are all back in their classrooms today, but not before the political debate was smothered. \n In Allen Cooper's class, as part of a current events project, high school students made pro- and anti-war posters. One poster, created by an Afghani student who had family members killed in the U.S.-led bombings in Afghanistan, said "No War Mr. Cooper." Others supported the troops and the country's position of ousting Saddam Hussein and his regime. All were told to be taken down by school administrators.\nWe understand the position school administrators are in. With hundreds if not thousands of students under their supervision, any action that could hinder the academic progress of one child can be called into question. That's why administrators have traditionally been so cautious, so as to not offend any student.\nBut to close the scope of public debate on a national issue that has resonated across all ages, races and classes moves against every tenet of education.\nBy suspending the four New Mexico teachers, the administrators at those schools are quelling debate and abridging expression of the teachers and the students. It's naïve to think that a teacher's opinions don't influence their students. As children, we spend as much time with them as we do our parents. It's simply natural for teachers to affect the way we think -- it's their job. So why in this case are their actions called subversive? \nThe war in Iraq is simply another political debate, sadly with far greater consequences. That Afghani student should be encouraged to voice her dissent just as others should be encouraged to support U.S. and British forces. It's what education is supposed to be about.\nThe IU faculty recently received a statement of principles with regard to talking about and debating the war in class. It's a standard we feel schools across the country should adopt. It sets clear boundaries but allows for expression, a cornerstone of our society.\n"We believe in the importance of public debate and the discussion of diverse ideas, and in showing respect for the dignity and rights of all," the statement reads. "Maintaining free and open encounters during times of crisis and disagreement requires particular sensitivity to the racial, religious, cultural and vocational diversity of the University community."\nThe statement continues by welcoming opinion but draws a line as to a student's specific sensitivities. \nThat's all we want -- a chance for America's patriots to speak.
--Aaron Sharockman for the Editorial Board
