Modesto Junior College is walking back from its decision last week to prevent a student from handing out free copies of the United States Constitution on National Constitution Day last week.
The school posted the following message on its Facebook page last week shortly after FIRE broke the story:
Robert Van Tuinen, a student at the college, had handed out copies of the Constitution last Tuesday when a campus police officer told him he needed get prior permission to do so. The cop then directed him to the campus’ Student Development Office to fill out the necessary paperwork, despite Van Tuinen’s pleas that it was his First Amendment right to distribute the copies. The Student Development Office then told him that not only would he be restricted to passing out copies of the Constitution in a tiny area known as a “free speech zone,” but that he would also have to schedule his “free speech” exercise days or weeks in advance.
“The idea that I have to ask for permission to commit the act of free speech and that I have to go to a certain area to have the free speech and discuss with my fellow students, it’s a little ridiculous and it’s not free speech,” Van Tuinen said on Fox and Friends Sunday.
“This isn’t a huge issue that students can’t engage in free speech and talk to each other,” he added.
