A current controversy in schools today surrounds the struggle to maintain a balance between students' rights to express their own controversial views and the desire of school administrators to ensure a safe learning environment. Which landmark Supreme Court case confronted this issue?

Tinker v. Des moines (1969)

Explanation:

At the height of the Vietnam War, students in the Des Moines Independent Community School District in Iowa wore black armbands to school as an expression of their dissatisfaction with U.S. foreign policy. The district passed a rule prohibiting the armbands as part of a larger dress code, and students challenged the ban as a violation of the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. The Court agreed with the students and struck down the ban, saying that the school has to prove that the conduct or speech “materially and substantially interferes” with school operations in order to justify the ban. This case is notable for its impact on First Amendment jurisprudence regarding distinctions between conduct and speech, as well as for its extension of free speech protections to students.