The students were again met by the principal, school administrators, and two deputy police officers. They were once more informed they could not distribute Bibles. We filed suit in Federal Court in St. Louis, Missouri. The School Board Policy which requires prior approval and limits literature distribution to only instructional material is blatantly unconstitutional. Moreover, the principal's action of prohibiting the distribution of Bibles and threatening arrest shocks the conscience.
Students have a right to free speech during noninstructional times.
There is no difference between verbal or written speech. If you can say it, you can print it. Verbal speech does not lose any constitutional protection when you affix the words to paper. The only difference between verbal and written speech is one contains litter and the other does not. However, instead of prohibiting literature distribution because it might result in litter, the Supreme Court has stated that the natural remedy is to simply punish the litter bug.