Community College in Minnesota Faces Free Speech Scrutiny Over ‘Speech Zone’ Policy

Community College in Minnesota Faces Free Speech Scrutiny Over ‘Speech Zone’ Policy

It’s amazing that speech zones are still a thing in some places. I thought we dealt with this years ago.

Campus Reform reports:

Minnesota community college faces free speech scrutiny over speech zone policy

A Minnesota community college is facing scrutiny from a free speech watchdog over policies that restrict where non-affiliated individuals can speak on campus.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, states in its expression and assembly policy that it “recognizes the vital role that freedom of expression plays” and remains neutral on political activity. However, an April letter from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) argues that the school’s rules may undermine that neutrality.

The policy restricts non-affiliated individuals to designated areas for expression and requires permits for certain activities. It also requires individuals to submit chalking requests at least one week in advance.

The policy states that “No permits will be denied based on the subject matter of the expression.”

FIRE contends that these restrictions raise “serious First Amendment concerns” and argues that the college “does not have unbounded discretion to restrict non-affiliated speakers.” The group warns that limiting speech to the edges of campus separates speakers from their intended audience and burdens expression.

Beyond location limits, FIRE also raised concerns about viewpoint discrimination. The letter states that “the Establishment Clause does not require and does not justify public entities restricting religious speech,” adding that public institutions cannot exclude speech based on religious viewpoints. FIRE specifically criticized the college’s ban on proselytizing by non-affiliated individuals.

The organization also challenged the policy’s advance notice requirement. FIRE argued that “a blanket week-long notice requirement, even for a single individual wishing to hand out pamphlets, is unreasonable,” suggesting that the rule exceeds typical administrative or safety needs.

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.