Is It Illegal for Teachers To Talk About Politics?

Politics might be a complicated and uncomfortable topic to discuss with your students, but it is an essential lesson to learn in school. However, discussing it may be challenging, especially with how polarizing the current political climate is. This may make you question whether it is illegal for teachers to talk about politics.

It is not illegal for teachers to talk about politics. However, one should do so while maintaining objectivity, professionalism, and an intent to educate. You should lay the ground rules for discussion after telling your students to read on the matter.

The rest of this article will examine why teachers are not prohibited from talking about politics in the classroom and how they should do it correctly. Keep reading to learn more.

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Can Teachers Discuss Their Political Views?

Generally, teachers can discuss their political views outside of work as the First Amendment protects it.

However, according to the Supreme Court ruling in Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410 (2006), anything that concerns job-related political statements from public employees, such as leaning toward one particular view and explicitly inviting other students toward that view during class discussions, is not.

Wearing apparel such as shirts or face masks and posting signs containing political statements in school is also not protected by First Amendment rights. This is because teachers are treated as state or district employees while on school premises.

On the bright side, teachers can discuss their political views in the classroom when the nature of the subject requires such discourse and should it be within the district’s approved curriculum. For example, a class in history, economics, civics, or geography can indeed discuss the national elections, but courses in science or mathematics may find it inappropriate.

Different school districts may also support an ongoing political debate, enabling teachers to post or talk about the topic explicitly in the district’s approved way. For example, some school districts allow teachers to support the Black Lives Matter campaign, making its discussion open to agreements or contentions within the classroom.

However, the district may also limit private social media posts, such as Facebook statuses or Twitter tweets, should they violate a school or district policy on politics. They can also prohibit public posts made by a teacher, even if they do it as a private citizen, should it be proven to affect their students or co-staffs negatively.

How Can Teachers Discuss Political Views in School?

As I’ve said, you can discuss political views in the classroom, provided they fall under your district’s curriculum and your subject’s scope. Here are some ways you can do it properly:

Maintain Objectivity, Professionalism, and Intent To Educate

As a teacher, it’s your job to maintain an objective stance on matters from complicated backgrounds such as politics or religion. Although political topics can become polarizing, you can still present them with facts based on reliable sources without compromising the lesson’s objectivity.

You can also arrange your lesson’s delivery to better suit your students’ understanding. For example, you can discuss the Black Lives Matter campaign without explicitly pointing fingers at who’s wrong, instead presenting them with articles or facts from different points of view.

It is also your job to remain professional when your students or co-staff hold a different or opposing view from yours. At all costs, avoid getting into heated arguments with them. Instead, talk to them privately and calmly discuss why you hold opposing views. You can also give them sources they can read to follow your arguments better.

You should also remember your foremost intention, which is to teach your students something they may not have known before your lesson. For example, should your student hold some explicitly racist or sexist beliefs, consider their background and try to approach the issue from there instead of calling them out in class.

Tell Your Students To Read on the Matter

Before diving into any classroom discussions, you should ensure that your students have enough prior knowledge to work on. You can give them easily-digestible learning materials appropriate for their learning levels, such as news articles or historical excerpts.

A journal article from Learning and Instruction has found that collaborative learning, such as classroom discussions, is more effective if students have sufficient knowledge about the topic they’re discussing.

You should also encourage them to conduct research independently and try to refute or support the materials you presented. Not only will they be more likely to participate, but they’ll also have the chance to dispel previous erroneous beliefs about specific political topics by delving into their research.

Lastly, tell them to form their own opinions from what they’ve researched and not from previously held beliefs from their family members or peers.

Set Ground Rules for the Discussion

You and your students must maintain decorum and civility during the classroom discussion. To do this, you should set some ground rules before discussing your lesson and before your students share their thoughts.

Although you can discuss political issues using debates, one of the two sides may be a better debater, even if they hold morally or factually incorrect statements. This will complicate the discussion since you would have to dive in and disentangle their claims.

To combat this, I suggest trying the Socratic Method of questioning. Essentially, it is a form of a dialogue between teachers and students to dismantle an idea and reshape it into a better one through continuous questioning and answering.

To understand more about this method, you can watch this YouTube video:

Additionally, to make the discussion more free-flowing, you can add some cues, such as various hand signals for refutation, agreement, or point of inquiry.

Final Thoughts

A study by the SPLC found that 90% of 10,000 teachers have seen negative impacts on their students’ behavior during the 2016 elections. Half of these teachers were also hesitant to talk about politics in class.

These figures show how some educators are often uncomfortable about teaching politics, but it also shows why it’s important that you do so. Teach your students its importance, and show them different points of view by presenting them with facts and allowing them to form their own opinion. Remember to keep an open mind and a professional approach when doing so.