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CEP promotes civic literacy through the development of innovative educational programs and curricula that help provide young people with the knowledge and skills they need to become active and engaged citizens.


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CEP News: December 2006

Bill of Rights Day at Framingham High School

Bill of Rights Day at FHS To celebrate Bill of Rights Day, CEP designed a special learning module about freedom of expression and the rights of students. We then trained nine attorneys from the Staples, Inc. to teach this module in ten U.S. History classes at Framingham High School during the week of December 15th, which marked the 215th anniversary of ratification of the Bill of Rights.

FHS students first read an excerpt from Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District, a landmark Supreme Court decision that upheld the First Amendment rights of students who wore black armbands to school protest the Vietnam War. The students then applied the law and principles of Tinker to a recent case involving a student who was suspended for wearing an anti-Bush t-shirt just prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Students played the roles of lawyers for the student, lawyers for the school district, as well as Supreme Court justices, who had to make a decision based on the arguments presented to them.

"Thank you so much for your excellent presentation today. It is so rare to have such amazing presenters who are not used to a room full of adolescent kids, especially at lunch block. I had a few after school that just told me how they enjoyed the "debate-like" atmosphere. It was a very beneficial experience for them."

- Diane Micalizzi, U.S. History Teacher, Framingham High School

Click here to download the student packet we designed for this program.