Steirer v. Bethlehem Area School District
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
987 F.2d 989 (1993)
- Written by Alexander Hager-DeMyer, JD
Facts
In 1990, the Bethlehem Area School District (school district) (defendant) began requiring all public high school students to complete 60 community-service hours before graduating. The requirement allowed students to perform their required hours through any organization or experience approved by the school district. Students could select from existing lists of organizations or design their own community-service experiences for approval. The Steirer and Moralis families (plaintiffs) filed suit in federal district court, claiming that the community-service requirement violated the First Amendment by forcing students to express their support for the ideology of altruism. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the school district, and the families appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Sloviter, C.J.)
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