Student freedom of expression: Violent content and the safe school balance

Authors

  • A. Wayne Mackay Dalhousie University
  • Janet Burt-Gerrans AWM Legal Consulting

Keywords:

freedom of expression, legal issues, violence, rights

Abstract

The authors begin with a discussion of the duality in how children are viewed in both international and domestic law. Children are viewed as both under the protection and authority of adults, at the same time as being rights bearing individuals. Following recognition of the difficult tension created by this duality, these authors focus on its application in the balancing of the safe school environment with student freedom of expression. In particular these authors examine cases and scenarios that highlight the complex relationships that result when student expression contains violent content. This timely examination gives consideration to the contemporary societal context, and proposes a proactive path forward. LIBERTÉ D’EXPRESSION DES ÉTUDIANTS : CONTENU VIOLENT ET L’ÉQUILIBRE SÛRE DE L’ÉCOLE RÉSUMÉ. Les auteurs commencent avec la dualité dans laquelle les enfants sont vus dans les lois domestiques et internationales. Ils sont vus à la fois comme étant sous la protection et l’authorité des adultes, et dans le même temps comme des individus possédant des droits personnels. Suivant l’identification des tensions difficiles crées par cette dualité, ces auteurs se concentrent sur leurs applications dans l’équilibre d’un environnement scolaire sûr avec une liberté d’expression pour l’étudiant. Ces auteurs examinent en particulier quelques cas et scénarios qui éclaircissent les relations complexes qui parviennent quand l’expression d’un étudiant à un contenu violent. Cet examen opportun amènent de la considération au contexte social contemporain et propose un chemin proactif pour le futur.

Author Biographies

A. Wayne Mackay, Dalhousie University

A. WAYNE MACKAY a graduate of Mount Allison University, recently completed a three-year term serving as the University’s 12th President and Vice-Chancellor. Professor MacKay has returned to teach at Dalhousie Law School where he was the founding director of the Law School’s Indigenous Black and Mi’kmaq Program (one of the first such programs in the country), and director of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission from 1995-1998. As a lawyer and a legal consultant, he has an impressive background in research and writing, including five books in education law and some seventy-five academic articles, primarily in the fields of constitutional law and human rights. He is nationally renowned as a legal scholar and specialist in human rights. Widely sought as a conference speaker, Professor MacKay has delivered more than one hundred conference presentations. Among his numerous teaching awards are the 1995 Association of Atlantic Universities Distinguished Teacher Award and the 1999 W.P.M. Kennedy Memorial Award as the top law professor in Canada. He was also named co-recipient of the 2001 Alumni Award of Excellence for Teaching by Dalhousie University for enthusiasm and interest in student needs. He holds the International Commission of Jurists’ Walter S. Tarnopolsky Human Rights Award for his extensive contribution to the field of human rights. He was recently awarded the Order of Canada.

Janet Burt-Gerrans, AWM Legal Consulting

JANET BURT-GERRANS holds a Bachelor of Arts (honours) from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University. She writes from her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is currently employed with AWM Legal Consulting Inc., working in the area of Inclusive Education.

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How to Cite

Mackay, A. W., & Burt-Gerrans, J. (2007). Student freedom of expression: Violent content and the safe school balance. McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill, 40(3). Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/582

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Section

Articles