A federal appeals court ruled for a Mississippi high school student suspended for posting a rap about coaches who he said were acting inappropriately with female students. The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals found that the student could not be punished by the school since he wrote the rap off campus and posted in on his own computer while at home. (The Clarion-Ledger, December 12, 2014, by Jack Elliott Jr. of the Associated Press)
The appeals court said that under Tinker v. Des Moines, the song did not cause substantial disruption at the school contradicting the finding of a lower court. The appeals court said that misconduct of coaches was a matter of public concern. (Student Press Law Center, December 12, 2014, by Anna Schiffbauer)