Legislative Directory

Legal Forum (Continued)

The legal question presented by the school to the Supreme Court is, Whether Tinker v. Des Moines, which holds that public school officials may regulate speech that would materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school, applies to student speech that occurs off campus.

The competing legal question presented by B.L. to the Supreme Court is, Whether the court of appeal correctly held that a public high school violated the First Amendment when it punished a student for her colorful expression of frustration, made in an ephemeral Snapchat on her personal social media, on a weekend, off campus, containing no threat or harassment or mention of her school, and that did not cause or threaten any disruption of her school.

Obviously, there is a competitive advantage to the litigants in which way the Court addresses the legal question. The broader question posed by the school, if answered “yes,” gives the school much more latitude in controlling student speech away from the school setting. The more narrow question posed by the student, if answered “yes,” adds contingencies that give a student more opportunities to challenge a school’s punishment for speech outside the school. Beyond that, there have been three different ways the district courts and the circuit courts of appeal have applied Tinker to student speech and the use of social media. One interpretation is that Tinker, if used, requires a showing of foreseeability—that it is reasonably foreseeable that the speech will reach the school. The second interpretation focuses on a nexus, a showing of a connection between the student’s speech on social media and an injury to the school’s pedagogical interests. The third interpretation spends most of its concern on the severity of the impact of the student’s speech on what happens in the school. How the Court looks at these questions and the facts they use to arrive at its decision really matter. We have been going through a time over the last twenty years where more student expression increasingly occurs online. Indeed, during the pandemic year(s) even more of school has occurred online rather than in school. School administrators can fairly anticipate more and more novel questions related to online activity and school authority over students (witness the recent news item about a school punishing a student for allowing a pellet gun to be seen leaning in the corner of his bedroom by a teacher during instruction on Zoom.) As stated, the Court will likely not issue its opinion until June of 2021. If the Court categorically agrees with the Third Circuit Court of Appeal, that Tinker simply does not apply in any way to social media speech originating outside the school, then it will be necessary to analyze and take stock of best practices for school administrators in that eventuality. Likewise, if the Court adopts a fifth rule for student speech starting on social media, then analysis for best practices will have to be fashioned. In the meantime, until the Court shows us the way, best practice for school administrators in dealing with student expression that originates on social media away from the school probably requires that school administrators incorporate all three different interpretations of Tinker, applied by the lower courts as described above. In that vein, best practices for school administrators in dealing with situations that arise from student speech on social media would include, as follows:

1. Discover and document fully the path of how the student’s speech started on social media and made its way into the school.

2. Discover and document fully the connection of the student’s speech to the pedagogical interests the school has in good instruction.

3. Discover and document fully the severity of the impact of the student’s speech on the pedagogical interests of the school.

Alabama’s Constitutional Officers

GOVERNOR KAY IVEY

State Capitol 600 Dexter Ave. Montgomery, AL 36130 334-242-7100 Fax: 334-353-0004 governor.alabama.gov

LIEUTENANT GOV. WILL AINSWORTH

11 S. Union St. # 725 Montgomery, AL 36130 334-261-9590 Fax: 334-242-4661 ltgov.alabama.gov

SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN MERRILL

600 Dexter Ave. Suite S-105 Montgomery, AL 36130 334-242-7200 Fax: 334-242-4993 sos.alabama.gov

STATE AUDITOR JIM ZEIGLER

600 Dexter Ave. Room S-101 Montgomery, AL 36130 334-242-7010 Fax: 334-242-7650 auditor.alabama.gov

ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL

501 Washington Ave. Montgomery, AL 36104 334-242-7300 / Fax: 334-242-4891 alabamaag.gov 1445 Federal Drive Montgomery, AL 36107 334-240-7100 / Fax: 334-240-7190 agi.alabama.gov

600 Dexter Ave., Room S-106 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-242-7500 / Fax: 334-242-7592 treasury.alabama.gov

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE & INDUSTRIES — RICK PATE STATE TREASURER JOHN MCMILLAN

Alabama’s Congressional Members

SENATOR

RICHARD SHELBY (R)

304 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 202-224-5744 shelby.senate.gov FMJ Federal Courthouse 15 Lee St., Ste. 208 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-223-7303

Committees: Appropriations, Chairman; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Environment and Public Works; Rules and Administration Chief of Staff: Dayne Cutrell Press Secretary: Alyssa Pettus

SENATOR

TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R)

Dirksen Senate Building SD-B40, Ste. A Washington, DC 20510 202-228-2147 tuberville.senate.gov Chief of Staff: Stephen Boyd

Photo by AP Images

ROBERT ADERHOLT (R)

District 4: Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Lawrence, Marion, Marshall, Tuscaloosa, Walker & Winston 1203 Longworth Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-4876/Fax: 202-225-5587 aderholt.house.gov 247 Carl Elliot Building 1710 Alabama Ave. Jasper, AL 35501 205-221-2310/Fax: 205-221-9035 Committees: Appropriations Chief of Staff: Kerry Knott Press Secretary: Carson Clark

GARY PALMER (R)

District 6: Blount, Bibb, Coosa, Chilton, Shelby and parts of Jefferson

207 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-4921/Fax: 202-225-2082 palmer.house.gov 3535 Grandview Pkwy., Ste. 525 Birmingham, AL 35243 205-968-1290/Fax: 205-968-1294 Committees: Transportation & Infrastucture Chief of Staff: William Smith Press Secretary: Elizabeth Hance

MO BROOKS (R)

District 5: Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone & Madison

2246 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4801 brooks.house.gov 2101 W. Clinton Ave., Ste. 302 Huntsville, AL 35805 256-551-0190 Committees: Armed Services; Science, Space & Technology Chief of Staff: Mark Pettitt Communications Director: Clay Mills

MIKE ROGERS (R)

District 3: Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Lee, Macon, Randolph, Russell, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa & parts of Montgomery 2184 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-3261 / Fax: 202-226-8485 mike-rogers.house.gov 1129 Noble St. #104 Anniston, AL 36201 256-236-5655 / Fax: 256-237-9203 Committees: Armed Services; Homeland Security Chief of Staff: Christopher Brinson Press Secretary: Shea Snider Miller

JERRY CARL (R)

District 1: Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile and Washington counties and parts of Clarke

1330 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 carl.house.gov 41 W I-65 Service Rd. Mobile, AL 36608 Chief of Staff: Chad Carlough Communications Director: Zach Weidlich

BARRY MOORE (R)

District 2: Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Pike & parts of Montgomery 5401 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 217 Graceland Dr., Ste. 5 Dothan, AL 36305 Phone: 334-794-9680 / Fax: 334-6711480 Chief of Staff: Shana Teehan Communications Director: Katie Milner District Director: Bill Harris

TERRI SEWELL (D)

District 7: Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Wilcox, and parts of Clarke, Jefferson, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa 2201 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-2665 / Fax: 202-226-9567 sewell.house.gov 908 Alabama Ave., Fed. Building, Ste. 112 Selma, AL 36701 334-877-4414 / Fax: 334-877-4489 Committees: Ways & Means, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chief of Staff: Cachavious English Communications Director: Jackie McGuinness

Alabama Congressional Races: Total Amounts Raised

Listed in order of amounts raised Doug Jones (D) $30,640,565 Tommy Tuberville (R) $8,548,910 Terri Sewell (D) $2,162,475 Jerry Carl (R) $1,938,692 Robert Aderholt (R) $1,252,664 Mike Rogers (R) $1,191,663 Gary Palmer (R) $914,379 Mo Brooks (R) $625,789 Barry Moore (R) $620,029 James Averhart (D) $79,089 Phyllis Harvey-Hall (D) $57,057 Adia Winfrey (D) $50,238 Rick Neighbors (D) $43,988 Michael Parrish (I) $5,116

Based on Federal Election Commission data available electronically on Dec. 10, 2020. Sources: Center for Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org

Alabama’s State Senate

MOST SENATE PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION OF COOPERATIVES

Montgomery address for all state senators: Alabama Legislature 11 S. Union St. Montgomery, AL 36130

Listed in alphabetical order. GREG ALBRITTON LINDA COLEMAN-MADISON GERALD ALLEN

PRISCILLA DUNN BILLY BEASLEY

CHRIS ELLIOTT THOMAS BUTLER VIVIAN DAVIS FIGURES CLYDE CHAMBLISS

SAM GIVHAN DONNIE CHESTEEN

SENATOR/PARTY/ DISTRICT

GREG ALBRITTON, R District 22: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, Washington GERALD ALLEN, R District 21: Lamar, Pickens, Tuscaloosa ROOM EMPLOYMENT

727 Attorney

729 Owner, Cashco Marketing

WILL BARFOOT, R District 25: Crenshaw, Elmore, Montgomery

BILLY BEASLEY, D District 28: Barbour, Bullock, Henry, Houston, Lee, Macon, Russell

TOM BUTLER, R District 2: Limestone, Madison 733 Attorney

737 President, Pratts Station LLC

730 Pharmacist MONTGOMERY/ DISTRICT PHONE

334-261-0785 251-937-0240 DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS

810 S. Pensacola Ave., Atmore, AL 36502 galbritton@att.net

334-261-0861 205-556-5310 P.O. Box 70007, Tuscaloosa, AL 35407 gerald.allen@alsenate.gov

334-261-0895 Montgomery, AL 36104 will.barfoot@alsenate.gov

334-261-0868 334-775-7657 P.O. Box 606, Clayton, AL 36016 billy.beasley@alsenate.gov

334-261-0884 256-539-5441 P.O. Box 653, Madison, AL 35758 senbutler@aol.com

CLYDE CHAMBLISS, R District 30: Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa

DONNIE CHESTEEN, R District 29: Dale, Geneva, Houston

LINDA COLEMAN-MADISON, D District 20: Jefferson 730 Principal engineer, Chambliss Engineering 334-261-0872 clyde.chambliss@alsenate.gov

735 Retired pharmaceutical representative 334-261-0890 334-684-2196

737 Compliance Administrator, Americans with Disabilities 334-261-0864 205-798-1045 P.O. Box 39, Geneva, AL 36340 donnie.chesteen@alsenate.gov

linda.coleman-madison@birminghamal.gov

PRISCILLA DUNN, D District 19: Jefferson 737 Homeless Education Coordinator, Bessemer City Schools 334-261-0793 205-426-3795 priscilla.dunn@alsenate.gov

CHRIS ELLIOTT, R District 32: Baldwin

VIVIAN DAVIS FIGURES, D District 33: Mobile

SAM GIVHAN, R District 7: Madison 735 Former Baldwin County commissioner

736 CEO, Figures Legacy Education Foundation

735 Farmer, attorney 334-261-0897 251-990-4610

334-261-0871 251-208-5480

334-261-0867 256-539-5441 1100 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL 36532 chris.elliott@alsenate.gov

P.O. Box 7985, Mobile, AL 36670 vivian.figures@alsenate.gov

P.O. Box 2470, Huntsville, AL 35804 sam.givhan@alsenate.gov