**Catherine J. Ross**, Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School and Visiting Scholar at the Harvard School of Education, discusses her book, _Lessons in Censorship: How Schools and Courts Subvert Students' First Amendment Rights_. Together with the Harvard Book Store, Harvard's Hutchins Center for African & African American Research has welcomed Ross to share her book's message. _Lessons in Censorship_ highlights the troubling and growing tendency of schools, especially public schools, to clamp down on off-campus speech such as texting and sexting and reveals how well-intentioned measures to counter verbal bullying and hate speech may impinge on free speech. For several decades the Supreme Court emphasized the role of schools in cultivating liberty. Since the 1970s, however, our judicial system has moved towards censoring certain categories of student speech in the name of order and authority, even if these actions are unconstitutional. In her book, Ross tells the stories of several legal battles over censorship in schools and introduces the young protesters, journalists, and artists who fought for their expressive rights. Understanding the need for a balance between freedom and order, she proposes ways to protect free expression without disrupting education.
