The Legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelley’s line-item veto to put the restriction into law, a step that critics argue amounts to viewpoint discrimination by favoring some kinds of speech or protest activity over others. The article also raises concerns about how students’ free speech rights are treated differently from those of college students, noting that University of Kansas students also joined protests.
In the Kansas Press Association opinion, the argument is that public schools should allow students to exercise political speech—during school hours on campus or off campus through social media—while also discouraging violence and supporting measures to prevent it. The piece contends that restricting student political activity can lead students to self-censor rather than practice the skills needed for democratic citizenship.