Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/804858
ByCollinBinkley TheAssociatedPress On some college cam- puses, students and outsid- ers are allowed to protest and distribute flyers only in so-called "free speech zones." Supporters say it's a way to protect against disruptions to school oper- ations, but opponents call it censorship. The debate is headed to a federal court in California, where a student on Tues- day filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles Pierce College's "free speech area." Kevin Shaw, 27, says the community college violated his First Amendment rights in November when he was barred from passing out copies of the U.S. Constitu- tion because he wasn't in the free speech zone — an outdoor area roughly the size of three parking spaces — and because he hadn't applied to use it. Calls to the college and to the Los Angeles Commu- nity College District, which oversees Pierce, were not immediately returned. The lawsuit is part of national campaign by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a Phil- adelphia free speech group whose lawyers are offering to help students fight simi- lar policies at other colleges across the country. The group says 10 per- cent of the 450 colleges it monitors have similar free speech zones, which be- came common in the 1960s as a way to control campus protests against the Viet- nam War. Many colleges dropped the practice de- cades later amid opposition from students, but experts say it has survived at some schools as a way to rein in protests and to regulate outside provocateurs look- ing for a campus soapbox. "Iworrythatwhenwetalk about zoning speech, we're really talking about limit- ing it," said David Hudson, a law professor at Vanderbilt University who has written about campus free speech zones. "On the other hand, the school admittedly does have weighty interests like safety and order." Speech zones have come under scrutiny again re- cently amid a broader de- bate about free speech on campuses. Lawmakers in some states have proposed greater free speech protec- tions at public colleges af- ter students at some schools disrupted events featuring speakers they deemed too distasteful. Lawmakers in Colo- rado and Utah approved bills this year that ban free speech zones and expand protections across public campuses, saying students should confront ideas they might not like. Republican lawmakers have proposed similar bills in states in- cluding Texas, Georgia and Illinois. Other schools that con- tinued the practice have also faced lawsuits. Grand Valley State University in Michigan eliminated its two free speech zones this month after a group of stu- dents sued. Citrus College in California expanded its free speech zones to include most of campus in 2014 af- ter a student sued. Shaw's lawsuit in Califor- nia also targets policies at the Los Angeles Commu- nity College District, which requires all nine of its cam- puses to designate official free speech areas. All other areas of campus are consid- ered "non-public forums," according to the district's policies. The lawsuit asks the court to strike down poli- cies at Pierce and the dis- trict that limit free speech, and demands monetary damages for Shaw to be de- termined by the court. COURT FIGHT Campus 'free speech zones' face new round of scrutiny HOLLYNJOHNSON—GRANDRAPIDSPRESSFILE Students protest the shooting of an unarmed Grand Valley State University student in the "Free Speech Zone" at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. By Sophia Bollag The Associated Press SACRAMENTO A California lawmaker who says schools do not have enough time to make teacher tenure deci- sions announced a bill on Tuesday that would give teachers additional years to prove they deserve per- manent status. Assemblywoman Shir- ley Weber's proposed leg- islation would give public school teachers up to five years to earn tenure, a per- manent status designation granted after a probation- ary employment period. The current two-year process is too short and not flexible enough, said Weber, a Dem- ocrat from San Diego. If a school district doesn't grant a teacher tenure within two years, the teacher typically cannot get a second chance in the district. Weber's bill would make teacherseligiblefortenureaf- terthreeyears,andschooldis- tricts would have the option to give them another year or two. Districts would have to provide additional mentor- ing and support to fourth- and fifth-year teachers not granted tenure. Most states have a longer, more substan- tial process to determine whether a teacher should be given tenure, Weber said. In California, the tenure process is essentially au- tomatic for most teachers, said Bootsie Battle Holt, a math teacher in Los Ange- les Unified School District. "Extending the time- frame for tenure gives ed- ucators an opportunity to show that they are proficient in their craft, rather than showing that they have just lasted in the classroom for a short period of time," Bat- tle Holt said at a news con- ference Tuesday, flanked by more than a dozen other teachers supporting the bill. "Tenure should be an earned benchmark granted after an adequate amount of time for a teacher to demon- strate effectiveness." Weber said she doesn't know if the bill, AB1220, will affect how many teach- ers are tenured, but she said it will make the tenure pro- cess more meaningful. EDUCATION California bill would give teachers more time to earn tenure SOPHIA BOLLAG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Flanked by members of the education community, Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, discusses her proposed bill that would extend the amount of time teachers have to earn tenure, at a Capitol news conference, on Tuesday. "Tenure should be an earned benchmark granted after an adequate amount of time for a teacher to demonstrate effectiveness." — Bootsie Battle Holt, a math teacher in Los Angeles Unified School District By John Hanna The Associated Press TOPEKA, KAN. Kansas' Re- publican-controlled Legisla- ture approved an expansion Tuesday of state health cov- erage to thousands of poor adults under former Presi- dent Barack Obama's health care overhaul, days after the collapse of GOP leaders' re- peal effort in Washington. The bill would expand the state'sMedicaidprogramfor the poor, disabled and el- derly so that it would cover up to 180,000 additional adults who aren't disabled. It now heads to conserva- tive Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. The collapse of efforts by President Donald Trump and top Republicans in the U.S. House to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act buoyed supporters of ex- panding Medicaid in Kan- sas. But the move's success in the GOP-leaning state also reflected elections last year that brought more moderates and liberals into the Legislature. "I'm ecstatic! I am, and I'm high on happiness," said state Sen. Barbara Bollier, a moderate Kansas City-area Republican and retired an- esthesiologist. "The citizens of this state took a stand in November and said we wanted change, and now you're seeing it." But lawmakers on both sides of the debate expect Brownback to veto the mea- sure. He has long been a vo- cal critic of Obama's health care law and endorsed a plan pursued by Trump and GOP congressional leaders. The term-limited governor declared in January that expanding Medicaid under the law would be "airlifting onto the Titanic," though he hasn't said whether he would veto this bill. ThefailureofRepublicans in Washington to quickly re- pealObama'shealthcarelaw has created speculation that more states will consider Medicaid expansion. Dem- ocratic governors are pur- suing expansions in North Carolina and Virginia; an initiative is on the ballot in November in Maine. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that he will give its Republicans another chance at passing a health care overhaul but did not offer a timeline. "I don't think it makes any sense to jump on ex- panding Medicaid when the rules could change signifi- cantly," said Kansas Senate Majority Leader Jim Den- ning, a conservative Kansas City-area Republican. The bill would not have passed the Kansas Legisla- ture last year. At least eight new state senators replaced Republicans who were likely to have opposed expanding Medicaid. In the House, the same could be said for at least 20 members. But the 25-14 vote Tues- day in the Senate was two votes shy of the two-thirds majority necessary to over- ride a veto. The House ap- provedthebilllastmonthon an 81-44 vote , three votes short of a two-thirds major- ity. Obama's Affordable Care Act encouraged states to in- crease the number of peo- ple eligible for Medicaid by promising to pay most of the costs. Thirty-one states, in- cluding some led by GOP governors, have expanded Medicaid. Kansas critics argued that expanding Medicaid still would be too expensive for the state, which is fac- ing projected budget short- falls of more than $1 billion throughJune2019following massivepersonalincometax cuts championed by Brown- back. Kansas' Medicaid pro- gram covers about 377,000 poor, disabled and elderly residents, but poor adults under 65 who aren't dis- abled and don't have chil- dren aren't eligible. STATE HEALTH COVERAGE Lawmakers in Kansas vote to expand Medicaid Find us online! beginthe healing process You are Worth it! Ifyouexperiencedsexualviolenceasachild, please know it is not your fault. You are not alone. It'snevertoolatetobeginhealingfromyourexperience When you are ready to talk, we are here to listen. 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