Social Media and Off-Campus Speech

Can your school punish you for something you post on social media from home?

The answer is: sometimes—but schools do not have unlimited authority over your off-campus speech.

A major Supreme Court case, Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., addressed this question.

In 2017, a high school student posted on Snapchat outside of school after she was not selected for her school’s varsity cheerleading team. The school punished her by removing her from the junior varsity team.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the school violated her First Amendment rights. The Court explained that schools have a weaker interest in regulating speech that happens off campus. Otherwise, school rules could potentially control what students say throughout their entire day, even when they are at home.

But that does not mean everything you post online is protected.

The Court specifically recognized that schools can still have an interest in addressing certain off-campus speech, including serious or severe bullying and harassment, threats directed at teachers or students, and violations involving school activities or online school programs.

So, posting from home does give students important First Amendment protection—but where the speech happens, what it says, who it targets, and how it affects the school community can all matter.

Understanding your rights means knowing not only what you can say, but also when schools may legally intervene.