OFF TOPIC: Teachers Suspended for Showing Flex Your Rights Video

5-26-2010 Virginia:

Since Flex Your Rights was founded in 2002 to educate the public about constitutional rights during police encounters, our work has met with very little controversy. Every citizen should understand their basic Bill of Rights protections, and our materials have been embraced by both police and the public. That's why we're deeply concerned about today's news that two high school teachers in Virginia were suspended after showing one of our videos to their students:

Two Norview High School teachers were placed on paid administrative leave this week after a parent complained that they distributed classroom materials that gave advice on how to deal with police if stopped.
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The video, “Busted: Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters,” is posted online HERE. It opens with a portrayal of young adults stopped by a traffic officer who searches their car and arrests them for marijuana possession.
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A commentator on the video states, "Whether or not you break the law, this video is designed to explain what the law is and how you can legally and properly assert your constitutional rights through even the most stressful police encounters."

For each scene, the commentator explains how legal rights apply to police searches of vehicles, homes or individuals and how people can cite those rights during encounters with police. [The Virginian-Pilot]

Millions of these encounters occur each year in America, and it is plainly absurd to suggest that our young people should receive no education in how to handle them. People who understand their rights and know what to expect during a police encounter are less likely to make regrettable decisions, thus our materials reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes for both individuals and officers of the law.

For the remainder of this post: by Scott Morgan