Student Kendra Turner at Dyer County High School faced In School Suspension due to her violating her teacher’s ban on the words “bless you.” Turner had been raised to say “yes sir” and “yes ma’am,” so naturally, she would say “bless you” after a fellow student sneezed in class.
Under the First Amendment, citizens have freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition. Saying “bless you” in a school building is an exercise of religious freedom. Turner is a member of the Dyersburg First Assembly of God. Assuming her rights remain intact while she is at school, Turner has the right to say “bless you” in a classroom if it is included in her religious beliefs.
A student should not be punished for the way they were raised. Some teens were brought up to be polite to others, regardless of a teacher’s personal ideas of what is appropriate to say in a classroom. If it is not wrong to give someone In School Suspension for saying “bless you” to another student, then it should not be wrong to give a student detention for saying “yes ma’am” or “yes sir.” The principle is the same in either situation: a student was being polite and was punished for it.
Our rights are slowly being suffocated, especially concerning freedom of speech. Controversial topics such as same-sex marriage, religious differences and abortion have led to heated debates in which those with unpopular opinions are told to keep their beliefs silent. In Missouri, people are being killed and beaten because of their views on the shooting of Michael Brown. No company or institution can take away these natural rights that allow us to voice our thoughts publicly.
The longer one lets injustices continue, the bigger the injustice will grow. It takes courageous souls like Turner to stand up and fulfill their rights that are being denied in order to regain one’s freedom. In spite of the imminent consequences, Turner remained firm in her beliefs and fought the system because she knew she was in the right.