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Students at Pinellas County Technical College currently face a systemic roadblock to forming student organizations that allow them to advocate, assemble, and express their beliefs freely. Despite Florida law and decades of precedent affirming students’ rights to association and expression, PTC remains behind the curve in denying its students a basic platform to build community and engage in civic life on campus.
The freedom to form student organizations is not just a luxury—it’s a constitutional right. Whether these groups seek to promote free speech, community service, religious values, or political advocacy, students should not be subjected to an approval process that silences minority voices or discourages organizing altogether. When students are denied the right to freely associate, they are denied a key part of their education: the opportunity to develop leadership, engage in civil discourse, and build a community around shared values.
Across the country, students working with the Student Rights Campaign have overturned similar restrictions. At Westfield State University, for example, the administration was pressured into removing Student Government Association control over club recognition after it was found to be discriminating based on viewpoint. These victories prove that grassroots activism works, and students will no longer settle for silence.
Pinellas County Technical College must change course. Students deserve the right to form student-led organizations without interference, undue delay, or ideological litmus tests. Therefore, we, the undersigned, demand that the administration recognize and affirm the right of students at PTC to freely establish student organizations, engage in peaceful assembly, and receive access to facilities and promotional platforms equally afforded to other campus activities.
This policy change would not only restore the students’ constitutional rights but also promote a vibrant campus culture where diverse ideas can be freely expressed. The refusal to allow student organizations is not a neutral act—it’s an administrative endorsement of censorship. If Superintendent Kevin K. Hendrick truly believes in the mission of “100% student success,” he must start by trusting his students enough to let them speak, organize, and lead.