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Page Number: 32.0

18 

MAHANOY AREA SCHOOL DIST. v. B. L. 

ALITO, J., concurring 

these lines was that they “upset” some students (including 
members of the cheerleading squad),24 caused students to 
ask  some  questions  about  the  matter  during  an  algebra 
class taught by a cheerleading coach,25 and put out “nega-
tivity . . . that could impact students in the school.”26  The 
freedom of students to speak off-campus would not be worth 
much if it gave way in the face of such relatively minor com-
plaints.    Speech  cannot  be  suppressed  just  because  it  ex-
presses thoughts or sentiments that others find upsetting, 
and the algebra teacher had the authority to quell in-class 
discussion  of  B. L.’s  messages  and  demand  that  the  stu-
dents concentrate on the work of the class. 
  As for the messages’ effect on the morale of the cheerlead-
ing squad, the coach of a team sport may wish to take group 
cohesion and harmony into account in selecting members of 
the team, in assigning roles, and in allocating playing time, 
but it is self-evident that this authority has limits.  (To take 
an obvious example, a coach could not discriminate against 
a  student  for  blowing  the  whistle  on  serious  misconduct.)  
And here, the school did not simply take B. L.’s messages 
into account in deciding whether her attitude would make 
her effective in doing what cheerleaders are primarily ex-
pected  to  do:  encouraging  vocal  fan  support  at  the  events 
where  they  appear.    Instead,  the  school  imposed  punish-
ment:  suspension  for  a  year  from  the  cheerleading  squad 
despite B. L.’s apologies. 
  There  is,  finally,  the  matter  of  B. L.’s  language.    There 
are parents who would not have been pleased with B. L.’s 
language and gesture, but whatever B. L.’s parents thought 
about what she did, it is not reasonable to infer that they 
gave the school the authority to regulate her choice of lan-
guage when she was off school premises and not engaged in 

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24 App. 82. 
25 Id., at 82–84. 
26 Id., at 81.