Rising4Youth
Rise4FosterYouth
Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. is more than a court case—it’s a defining moment for student free speech in the digital age.
It all started with a 14-year-old girl, a missed opportunity, and a fleeting Snapchat post. In 2017, Brandi Levy, a high school freshman from Pennsylvania, was upset. She hadn’t made the varsity cheerleading squad, and like many teens, she vented. From her phone, off-campus and on a weekend, she posted a photo to Snapchat. In it, she and a friend raised their middle fingers with a caption laced with frustration and profanity: a few words aimed at the school and cheer program. The post vanished after 24 hours—as Snapchat posts do. But the fallout didn’t.
Despite the fact that Brandi's message was made on her own time, far from school grounds, school officials deemed it a violation of team rules. They removed her from the junior varsity cheer squad, claiming her post had caused disruption and disrespected the team. Brandi and her parents pushed back, arguing that the punishment was unfair and violated her constitutional rights. What began as a teenager’s moment of rage soon spiraled into a legal battle that climbed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2021, the Court delivered a landmark 8–1 ruling in Brandi’s favor. Writing for the majority, Justice Stephen Breyer acknowledged that schools have some authority to regulate student speech—but drew a firm line. That authority does not stretch into every corner of students’ lives. Especially not when they are off-campus, outside school hours, and speaking on personal platforms. Simply put, schools cannot punish students for expressing themselves unless that speech causes significant disruption or infringes on others' rights.
The decision sent a clear message: free speech belongs to students too.
And for young people today—who live so much of their lives online—that message matters. Whether we’re speaking out against injustice, calling out unfair school policies, or just blowing off steam after a hard day, our voices are protected. We don’t lose our rights the moment we log in or post a story.
Mahanoy v. B.L. wasn’t just about one cheerleader’s Snapchat. It was about the right of every student to speak freely, to be heard, and to be respected—even when that speech is messy, emotional, or unpopular. The First Amendment doesn’t vanish when school ends for the day. And thanks to Brandi Levy, the courts have now said so loud and clear.