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A Day Of Silence Case Summary

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A Day Of Silence Case Summary
This is a case study analysis on “A Day of Silence, a Day of Truth, and a Lawsuit” by Bonnie C. Fusarelli and Lucy E. Eaton (2011). This case study explores freedom of speech and freedom of religion in public schools. Simon County High School is the only high school in the rural area dependent on agriculture. The highly conservative population is around 60,000 people, of whom 18% live in poverty. The school’s 600 students are 60% White, 30% African American, and 11% Hispanic.
This case revolves around two consecutive events at Simon County High School. The first, A Day of Silence, was held by student members of the national Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to bring awareness to the discrimination and harassment faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) students. The second event, a Day of Truth, was held the following day. A Day of Truth was created by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) in response to the Day of Silence, to be able to present an opposing viewpoint to homosexuality. Unlike the previous students, Blake had not asked for permission to hold his demonstration and was causing disruptions in the hallways. As a result, Ms. Howard assigned him to in-school suspension.
The ADF, a Christian legal group, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the county’s board of education, the superintendent, and …show more content…
The first, A Day of Silence, was held by student members of the national GLSEN to bring awareness to the discrimination and harassment faced by LGBT students. The students had gained approval from Principal Howard after she had educated herself on the group and the event. During the Day of Silence, the students did not speak during non-instructional times and passed out cards that explained the demonstration to any student that asked for one. The problem arose, when another student, Blake, decided to participate in the Day of Truth the following
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