The Des Moines School District
In December of 1969, when a group of adults and students met to discuss how to to protest the Vietnam War, members of the Des Moines School District became worried. (1) The principals of the public schools feared that protests would cause a disturbance in the school because a student that had attended the same High School had died in Vietnam. This student still had friend in the High School and the principal feared that these students would began some sort of movement at the High School. (2)
When word got out that John, Mary Beth, and Eckhardt would wear armbands, other students said they would wear armbands but of a different color. To avoid any conflict, the Principals of the public schools decided to create a policy that banned the wearing of armbands in school. This policy was announced on December 14th and stated that any student wearing a black armband would be asked to remove it and suspended if he or she refused.
When John, Mary Beth, and Eckhardt wore their black armbands on December 16th, the three were suspended. (3)
With the help of the ACLU, Iowa Civil Liberties Union, the Tinker family filed a suit with the school district and the U.S. District Court. The court favored with the school district but eventually the school district was dragged to Washington to argue their case before the Supreme Court.
(1) - Bill of Rights Institute, Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) , http://billofrightsinstitute.org/resources/educator-resources/lessons-plans/landmark-cases-and-the-constitution/tinker-v-des-moines-1969
(2) - ibid
(3) - ibid
When word got out that John, Mary Beth, and Eckhardt would wear armbands, other students said they would wear armbands but of a different color. To avoid any conflict, the Principals of the public schools decided to create a policy that banned the wearing of armbands in school. This policy was announced on December 14th and stated that any student wearing a black armband would be asked to remove it and suspended if he or she refused.
When John, Mary Beth, and Eckhardt wore their black armbands on December 16th, the three were suspended. (3)
With the help of the ACLU, Iowa Civil Liberties Union, the Tinker family filed a suit with the school district and the U.S. District Court. The court favored with the school district but eventually the school district was dragged to Washington to argue their case before the Supreme Court.
(1) - Bill of Rights Institute, Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) , http://billofrightsinstitute.org/resources/educator-resources/lessons-plans/landmark-cases-and-the-constitution/tinker-v-des-moines-1969
(2) - ibid
(3) - ibid