Introduction. Since the First Amendment, students have been given the opportunity to explore the conflict between the government's exercise of power and the rights of individuals, even courts recognize the rights of students guaranteed by the Amendment. Courts have balanced First Amendment rights and the need for schools to teach without disruption caused by free speech and expression because the exercise of those rights could interfere with learning. Most school administrators indicate that schools should strengthen immunity and free speech because the exchange of thoughts and ideas is extremely important in a learning environment. Right to freedom of expression. Freedom of expression flyer for students, emphasizes that school publications may not publish obscenities and defamatory statements, statements that disrupt the educational process, or statements that tend to constitute an invasion of privacy. The First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Yeo v. Lexington in 1997, that journalists at Lexington High School in Massachusetts had the right to refuse ads placed in their publications (Hinchey 2001). The court held that there was no legal obligation on the part of 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 Castorina v. Madison country board case. In this case, the students wore a controversial seal on their shirts. The character preached racism even as students insisted he represented their culture. The principal orders the students to go home or show their clothes inside out for the rest of the day and claims that any clothing or device that is obscene, disrespectful is...... middle of paper...... /filtering /individual.htmA Guide for educators - Filtering - Individual rights. (n.d.). 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.htmHinchey, P. H. (2001). Student rights: a reference manual. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.McCabe, N.H., McCarthy, M.M., & Thomas, S.B. (2004). Public School Law: Rights of Teachers and Students (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson A and B. Schwartz, E. G. (2006). American Students Organize: Founding of the National Student Association after World War II: An Anthology and Sourcebook. Westport, CT: American Council On Education/Praeger. Speech rights of public school students. (n.d.). UMKC School of Law. Retrieved October 5, 2011, from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/studentspeech.htm