A Change of Plan?
Snapshot: As a part of the Massachusetts state standards, eighth-grade students complete non-partisan student-led civics projects, through which they aim to create change. In this case, eighth grade teacher Jessica Sullivan struggles to respond as a group of students works on their plan to lobby the state legislature for more restrictive abortion laws. While Jessica respects the group’s autonomy to choose their topic and approach, she worries about the effect their shaming language and graphic imagery may have on classmates who have personal experiences with abortion. What boundaries, if any, should Jessica put on this student speech?
Detailed Case Description:
In 2018, then-Governor Charlie Baker signed a new law that aimed to strengthen civic education in Massachusetts. A key part of the law was the opportunity for all public school students to complete non-partisan student-led civics projects, first in eighth grade and again in high school. Through these projects, students develop civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions by engaging in hands-on experience that helps them understand how their government works.
In this fictional case, Jessica Sullivan teaches eighth grade in a politically diverse town. Following the Dobbs decision by the US Supreme Court, the town green has been the site of numerous abortion rights protests, where protesters have clashed with abortion opponents. There has even been conflict over the issue in Jessica’s classroom. So when three of Jessica’s students plan to petition a state legislator for more restrictive abortion laws, using graphic imagery and religious sources that shame women who seek abortions, Jessica worries about the impact on the other students in her class, particularly one girl whose sister recently had an abortion.
Jessica calls her colleagues together to try to determine whether she should ask this group to make any changes to their project in the name of building a safe and inclusive classroom. How can teachers balance student autonomy and classroom community? What boundaries, if any, should teachers create between public discourse and classroom discourse?
Explore Further:
Click here to learn more about the Massachusetts student-led civics project described in the case.
- Educators interested in doing student-led civics projects with their students might be interested in the Democratic Knowledge Project’s Student-Led Civics Project Workbook.
Educators seeking materials to help students think through and understand complex and controversial current events might be interested in the Democratic Knowledge Project’s Current Events Toolkit
To explore real student-led civics projects, watch the 2024 Massachusetts Civics Project Showcase hosted by DESE.