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.