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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: A lesson in free speech ... Winding up 25 years in the pumpkin patch ... OHSU opens rural 'hub' campus in Klamath Falls ... Our View: A lesson in free speech ... Winding up 25 years in the pumpkin patch ... OHSU opens rural 'hub' campus in Klamath Falls ... OUR VIEW Our View: A lesson in free speech DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 21, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Oct. 21, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Ashland High School administrators reacted appropriately to anti-abortion demonstrators who showed up outside Ashland High School recently to accost students — they treated the demonstration as a teachable moment on the First Amendment. About 15 demonstrators, part of a Roseburg group called the Abolitionist Society, gathered near the AHS campus, handing students anti-abortion literature in the morning and carrying signs with large pictures of aborted fetuses in the afternoon as students left for the day. Interim Principal Erika Bare made it clear that the school cannot shut down such activities, even if they make some students uncomfortable, without violating the protesters' free-speech rights. That's the double-edged nature of the First Amendment: It applies to everyone equally, not just those whose opinion you agree with. "As a school it is our job to educate our students on what is free speech," Bare said, "what is the right to protest, what is your responsibility as a citizen — to engage in a productive way or not, and also, what your rights are just as a person." Protesters have the right to speak on a public sidewalk as long as they are not on school property or blocking pedestrians. The students have the right to respond or — as Bare told students that day — the right not to. Bare hopes the protesters will call ahead next time, but recognizes they don't have to. For their part, the protesters should recognize that students have the right not to listen. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 21, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501