Public schools maintain a balancing act between protecting student free speech and upholding order. Under First Amendment Rights, public school districts cannot explicitly support or oppose the sentiment of a given student protest, however they must shut down protests that violate or threaten safety or traditional learning.

Princeton Public Schools sets out clear guidelines on student protests that are found in the student handbook. While the district acknowledges students’ First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, it states that walkouts, protests, and demonstrations are not school-sanctioned activities. Therefore, they are prohibited during instructional time or whenever they are deemed to interfere with school operations; violations of the Code of Conduct during protests can also result in disciplinary repercussions.

“Students definitely have freedom of speech, and we, in fact, encourage that, no matter where your political standing is. However, during instructional minutes, school rules apply, and that’s where we come in,” said PHS Principal Cecilia Birge.

The rules that PPS has established are similar to those in other school districts, with a common goal of balancing student protests with school safety.

“Our role is safety. The communication piece to school admin[istrators] is really so that we are aware of how to manage the safety aspect of it,” said Birge.

Yet, given these constraints, many student-led protests often result in disciplinary action for participating students. According to NJ.com, in 2022, an abortion-rights rally led by students at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey resulted in aggressive verbal disagreements, damaged public property, and acts of physical violence between students who supported abortion and those who opposed it. Following the incident, administrators vowed to punish students and urged adults to set a better example for the youth. The incident at Hunterdon revealed how quickly a protest can turn from peaceful to chaotic, especially when parties with opposing views collide.

“If a protest on campus turns violent, then we can suspend students, we can call the police, so its consequences can be more severe depending on how egregious the violation is exactly,” Birge said.

Needless to say, not all student-led protests end in conflict. Some demonstrations have been successful due to their organization, structure, and how they were carried out. In 2018, the March for Our Lives movement led by students gained significant traction, drawing over one million attendees across hundreds of global rallies to demand better gun control policies. In the United States, protestors gathered in major locations like Washington, D.C. to promote their cause with nearly 2 million participants, making it one of the largest student-led protests since the Vietnam War anti-war movement in 1970.

Ultimately, the district’s priority remains in education, and if students choose to campaign, they should at least communicate with the school for safety reasons.

“I suggest [students] come and see us … I would require students to reach out to their parents so that parents understand why students are not in class,” said Birge.

Free speech vs. student safety

This school year, Princeton Public Schools has implemented stricter guidelines on general financial practices. At PHS, the district placed an emphasis on addressing fiscal concerns related to extracurricular organizations such as clubs and community service organizations. Student have reported frustrations with the transition into the new system, citing concerns of unclear communication and complaints that students may need to pay fees out-of-pocket to continue their traditional activities, an expense many cannot afford.

Following the findings of the 2024–2025 PPS financial audit, Business Administrator Andrew Harris, who was appointed on July 1 of 2025, has been working with high school administrators and staff to implement the mid-year transition. As instructed by Harris, the audit team investigated and outlined financial concerns related to the Student Activity Fund, a financial account for use by student organizations. The details of the audit were presented to the public at the January 27 Board of Education meeting. 

Under the new procedure, clubs are required to receive prior approval for any purchases through the club fund using a district-regulated purchase order system. In the past, student club leaders bought from vendors directly and then sought reimbursement from their club fund afterward. Under the updated policy, the district will no longer permit reimbursements in most cases, as they will now make all purchases firsthand with vendors on behalf of students. 

Pride Unity Leadership Sisterhood Esteem club (PULSE) had planned this February to purchase items in bulk, such as baby bottles, clothes, and wipes to be donated to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit drive, but faced an accessibility issue due to the new requirements relating to vendor approval.
 
“We wanted to use our club fund, because over the [past] year, we [have] been holding [canning] and Fall Fest hot cocoa fundraiser[s] ... but we were told that we can’t go to Target and purchase these items by ourselves and [still] get reimbursed through receipts,” said Secretary of PULSE Emma Dweck ’27. “We have to submit a proposal that takes about a month or two to review, and this prevents us from carrying out events in a timely manner.” 

Additionally, as recommended by the audit, the Business Office now reviews the purpose for each purchase to monitor overspending and discourage unadvised financial practices. While the office is still finalizing exact criteria, they claim that they intend to end consistent, non-essential purchases.

In compliance with state legislation, the revised system ensures that nearly all external payments are paid by means of check, and that the transaction takes place with a vendor that has been approved by the district. If an essential item is needed from a vendor that lacks the necessary documentation, a system of district approved indirect purchasing can take place; in this system, an organization’s staff advisor serves as the approved vendor, purchasing the item and receiving reimbursement from the given activity fund of up to $250.

In addition to ensuring compliance with existing legislation, these reforms were also designed to address issues related to financial disorder within extracurricular organizations. Within the past few years, several student activity funds have slipped into financial deficits. The Business Office plans to handle the deficits on its own, though it could involve working together with the organizations.

 “I think it’s appropriate for the business office to handle [the deficit], because you don’t want to put an additional burden on the students that may or may not have been here when the account went negative,” said Harris. “I think it’s up to us to figure out what we [are] allowed to do within our domain to make those adjustments, to bring them back home again.”

Feeling the direct impacts, club representatives are calling out the faults of the new system, while acknowledging the necessity of its implementation.

“The recent tightening of spending regulations [has] been somewhat annoying for student leaders of clubs,” said Vice President of the Class of 2027 Noah Lee. “It’s [a] longer process [but] useful [if you] time it right.”

All of the interviewed administrators and staff agreed that they are trying to address flaws with the new system. 

 “Connect with your advisors and be patient as we work through this process, [and] know that our goal is to ensure that you continue to operate and to serve your mission, and at the same time abide by the accounting rules,” said PHS Principal Cecilla Birge. “We take these things for granted because it was done smoothly before, but now in the new system, we’re running into hurdles at many steps in the process, but we’re working through them … We’re determined to get it right.”

Despite new changes, certain PHS clubs are learning to navigate the new requirements. After the new district-regulated order system took place, the Prince Yearbook temporarily lost the ability to purchase food for their after-school meetings. However, upon following district policy and communication with Harris, they’ve received approval for future spending for meetings. 

“Especially as we’re getting closer and closer to the deadline, it’s more and more work for everybody,” said Prince Editor-in-Chief Gayathri Kilaru ’26. “When [the Prince members are] all here pretty late into the evenings on Wednesdays, food is often an incentive, but it’s also a way to boost everyone’s morale.”

In his first year as Princeton Public Schools Business Administrator, Harris reminded students that change is not always easy, but was needed in this case due to the financial concerns the district was having. 

“Change is hard, it’s suggesting a new process, it’s moving on from the old and trying to integrate the new. We all recognized that this was going to be a challenge especially to do mid-year … but we felt it was necessary, given the results of the audit, that we adopt these new procedures as quickly as possible … I don’t foresee any [more] significant changes that I think the students are going to feel the impact of moving forward,” said Harris.


Photo: Oscar Kim


From left to right: Jack Kastellec ’29 shares information about Quiz Bowl club to Max Joseffer ’29, Ben Wang ’29, Matthew Craig ’29, and Skye Pinneo ’26 at the PHS winter club fair.

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