Academia, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Society

Florida School Tells Fifth Grader That He Cannot Keep Both First Place Prize and His First Amendment Rights

Freedom_of_SpeechZachary-Golob-Drake-WFLAZachary Golob-Drake, a 5th grader at the Patel Partnership School in Tampa Florida was elated recently when he won first place with a speech and an invitation to compete in the 4-H Tropicana Public Speech Contest. However, his assistant principal then told him that he would be stripped of his honor because she did not like the topic of the speech, the history of people using religion to justify murder. It is the latest example of how free speech principles are routinely denied to students in public school. Here is a boy who takes on a difficult and highly advanced subject, but is told that he must either give up the first amendment or his first place prize.


Zachary reportedly had a paragraph that drew a comparison of the Crusades, Genghis Khan and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th. Pretty advanced connections for a fifth grader. However, the assistant principal to him to drop references to religion or give up his first place prize. In the meantime, she took away his ribbon, leaving him in tears when his big brother showed up to pick Zachary up. To his credit, his brother got the assistant principal to give back the ribbon and then Zachary’s mother got involved.

In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969), the Supreme Court supported the first amendment rights of Iowa residents John F. Tinker (15 years old), John’s younger sister Mary Beth Tinker (13 years old), and their friend Christopher Eckhardt (16 years old) in wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. In his majority decision, Justice Abe Fortas held that “undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression.” In a statement would would seem to fit this case, Fortas found that “the record does not demonstrate any facts which might reasonably lead school authorities to forecast substantial disruption of or material interference with school activities, and no disturbances or disorders on the school premises in fact occurred.” Since Tinker, the Supreme Court has steadily limited the speech rights of students as in the ruling in the “Bong Hits For Jesus” case.

The school district’s spokeswoman Tanya Arja then stated publicly that it was not really about religion but “[t]he concern was over the topic of mass murders . . . Because these are 4th and 5th graders.” I would think that a school would be supportive of a fifth grader who is taking on such difficult subjects. Below is Zachary’s speech, which is balanced and insightful. Ironically, it is about intolerance and ignorance — clearly not purely historical concerns.

Here is the offending speech:

In the Name of Religion

The world’s major religions all have messages about coexisting. But oftentimes people have found a way to bend that rule; sometimes people even use religion as an excuse to take each other’s lives. The three major religions on the earth include the Eastern religions, Islam, and Christianity. About one billion people live by the Eastern religions; about 1.4 billion are Muslim; and about 2.3 billion are Christians. Religious differences have always sparked conflict, even leading to warfare and mass murder.

One of the most famous tensions is the Crusades. Beginning in 1065, the Crusades were a series of holy wars which were fought between Christians and Muslims. It was the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Urban II who initiated the first wave of attacks. The European Christian’s intent was to force Christianity upon the Muslim people and to win back the Holy Land, known as Jerusalem. They were some of the bloodiest wars ever fought.

In 1162, about the time the Crusades ended, Genghis Khan was born and later crowned Emperor of Mongolia. Khan was a powerful ruler who conquered many lands and civilizations, which inevitably caused the Mongolian Empire to grow. Khan became so powerful that people considered him a god. Khan was known to tell his victims before causing their deaths, “I am the flail of God; for if you were without sin, he would not have sent me upon you.”

For anyone who thinks religious tensions have ended, they have not. Modern terrorism often has to do with religion. Take the story of 911, for example. On September 11, 2001, hijackers commandeered two jets and intentionally crashed them into the Twin Towers in New York, killing thousands of unsuspecting civilians. It has been confirmed that the hijackers were Islamic extremists who wanted to punish the United States for its immoral behavior.

Religion provides moral guidance for most of the seven billion people on the earth. More than 2,500 years ago, Confuscious offered guidance through the Golden Rule when he said, “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.” Both Jesus and Muhammad echoed these sentiments hundreds of years later. This world would be a better place if everybody followed that rule.

56 thoughts on “Florida School Tells Fifth Grader That He Cannot Keep Both First Place Prize and His First Amendment Rights”

  4. Home schooling works for those students who have parents who have some proficiency in at least the 3 R’s and a bit of appreciation for encouraging the natural curiosity of their kids. Unfortunately, too many homes, including a number of them that actually home school, just don’t measure up. Their kids are learning less than they would in a not very good public school.

  5. Mooser: I Googled the name Patel and Patel Partnership. What I learned is that there was and is a doctor who figured out how to set up his own practice and an industry of clinics and thence used some of his riches to found a Patel Partnership with education goals. This public school was named in his honor. So, its a public school named after a good Indian capitalist who has donated money to improve education. He would probably agree with most of us on the issue of free speech but on the other hand he has not chimed in.

    I sort of agree with those that say that public schools suck and that home school is an answer. Except here at the marina where we have a dogpac and some humans who are blind or half blind it would be like the dogs leading the blind and the offspring of both.

  6. I think Zach properly qualified his comments in regard to the twin towers: “Take the story of 911, for example.”

    Another way Khan controlled his empire is through the rape of the women he conquered.

    There is the saying of those who can, do and those who can’t, teach. It’s always bothered me. Who taught those who “do”? It think those who can’t “do” or can’t “teach” are the ones who become administrators.

  7. bernie:

    “How cute and sad at the same time, the poor kid believes the 9/11 official story fairy tale.”

    This comment repeats and incorporates the foregoing “Pirate Facepalm” video as if fully set forth herein.

  8. “Another screaming reason to get your kids out of the brainwash factory that is the public school system.”

    When did they start calling American Public Schools “Patel Partnership School?” Sounds pretty much like a charter job to me.

  9. How cute and sad at the same time, the poor kid believes the 9/11 official story fairy tale. We’ll give him a little time, he’s SURE to wake up when he sees what over 2000 Architect and Engineers and many other scholars, educators, researchers, activists, and ordinary folks willing to think have to say about it world-wide. He’ll look back later when he’s older and understands Newton’s Laws, Laws of thermodynamics, and Law of conservation of momentum is all about. Oh, and wait till he here’s the direct testimony from over 118+ people who heard and saw explosions coming from all 3 towers. Three? Oh that’s right, wait till the poor kid hears about WTC building 7, which was not hit by a plane yet came straight down at free-fall speed for over 100 feet, perfectly symmetric and into its own footprint. I’d like to think good kids like this ALWAYS eventually wake up.

  10. Another screaming reason to get your kids out of the brainwash factory that is the public school system. You can still legally homeschool your kids in all 50 states. It is worth the investment.

    I appreciate his critical thought process and willingness to stick to his guns. He does need to get past his encyclopedia/public school history of the crusades and do some deeper research. The lessons we learn by error are often the best ones . . .

  11. Can someone send the Principal and her principal assistants the blog topic here with all of our comments?

    If I was Patel and was still alive I would ask to have the school name changed.

    Tampa? I thought that such a place was civilized. Sounds like Pirate Territory.

  14. I think is is fear of saying a universal body rather than a group do unacceptable acts. After all, MLK etc should not have their beliefs sullied – would you not say ?

  15. Just to get it on record, the assistant principal’s name is Candice Dodd at the Patel Partnership School in Tampa.

    Here is their faculty web page. http://usfpatel.mysdhc.org/faculty

    The principal is Keith Laycock, but the one who really needs to be involved is the school psychologist, Brandy Riviere. Or perhaps Jill Kramer, the social worker.

    Not for Zach, but for the school administration. Our own occasional commenter, Theatre Goon, has a thought about this:

    1. OS My thoughts exactly! I am glad you said this since your qualifications and experience in this area are FAR superior to mine. I hope the school board will mandate this since the principal and administration are in serious need of help.

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