78R5656 RLM-D
By: Wilson H.R. No. 308
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The First Amendment of the United States
Constitution provides for freedom of speech and personal expression
as vital individual liberties necessary to the maintenance of a
free and just society; and
WHEREAS, The Fort Worth Independent School District violated
this fundamental right of self-expression when it suspended a
graduating senior, Terry Carter, from school, initially for 90
days, and on reconsideration for 10 days, for the performance in his
theater-arts class on January 30, 2003, of an extra-credit poem he
wrote for a school contest; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Carter has an exemplary record of academic
achievement and community service; he is an honors student ranked
sixth in his 186-member class at Fort Worth's Dunbar High School and
is president of King's Kids, a nationally prominent Fort
Worth-based youth organization that specializes in dramatic
recitations of the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Carter possesses an unblemished history of
personal conduct esteemed by his teachers, fellow students, and the
community; and
WHEREAS, Such suspension will cause Mr. Carter to miss his
senior prom, class picnic, and graduation ceremonies, as well as
disrupt the rhythm of course work at a critical time in his
secondary education and possibly interfere with his plans for a
college education; and
WHEREAS, Punishing a student for the content of his speech in
an unduly harsh manner offends the basic liberties enumerated in
the United States Constitution and held dear by our citizenry; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature censure the Fort Worth Independent School District for
the excessive discipline of Terry Carter in regard to his
performance of his poem; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Fort Worth Independent School District
review this case and reconsider its decision to suspend Terry
Carter.