The limits of free speech: the intersection of first amendment rights and justice-centered school leadership

Justice-centered school leaders advocate for educational change within their schools and communities, often facing significant risks such as reassignment and termination in doing so. In the U.S., many leaders may look to First Amendment speech rights for protection, but scholarship has not examined whether leaders truly are protected by First Amendment rights. This study examines how First Amendment case law intersects with justice-centered school leaders’ justice work toward educational change. Semi-structured interviews with seven justice-centered school leaders in a large urban school district were conducted to investigate leaders’ practices, perceptions of legal restrictions to these practices, and strategies for avoiding risk in their justice work. Findings reveal that: (1) justice-centered leader participants perceived their work to be highly risky and unprotected, and (2) justice-centered leader participants nonetheless persisted in their work through a variety of strategies. Findings highlight the complex relationship between the law and school leadership practices aimed at promoting school and community change. This study will be highly relevant to researchers studying justice-centered leadership, practicing and aspiring school leaders, and those who prepare them.