Our emotions control our words. Whether it is something we love, hate or are passionate about, it is a given that sometimes these emotions get the best of people, causing them to act out in ways they normally do not mean to. In today’s culture, the use of curse words are prominent in high schools. These words, while considered crude by some (especially in the older generations), often are exhibited in areas that are highly emotional or where stress is prevalent. It is these words that got the best of Noah Christiansen, a junior who goes to McQueen High School in Nevada.

After one of the more recent school shootings in Florida, more people, especially students, have began protesting for gun law reforms. One of the ways in which students protest is through having a scheduled walkout, where hundreds of students come together to protest a single idea: gun violence. During one of these scheduled walkouts, Christiansen called Representative Mark Amodei’s office, a congressman who is a known gun rights supporter. During this call, Christiansen uttered a few words that he instantly regretted. He shared his perspectives with the Nevada Independent.

“I’m smart enough to use better words than, of course, the f-word,” Christiansen said.

After the representative notified the school of his choice of words, he was suspended from school for two days and prevented from applying for secretary on student council. The school district he attends called his words to the congressman’s office an act of defiance, disrespect, and insubordination, as reported by the Washington Post. The decision of the district is one marked with controversy.

“They just really took it personally,” Christiansen said. “As if it’s truly embarrassing — a kid representing a democracy.”

Christiansen, after returning home from that first day of suspension, called a member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to go over his case. The group sent letters to the Superintendent of the district in order to clean Christiansen’s record. The district relented, agreeing to the request of the ACLU and removing the discipline from his records.

“This is a major win for the first amendment,” ACLU officer Amy Rose said. “Students, like everyone else, have a right to criticize government officials. Now students will know they have a right to speak passionately about their political beliefs, free from retaliation.”

While some do not agree with the use of Christiansen’s words and others do not agree with his punishment, it is still a good insight into the political light that students have entered especially after the incident at the school in Florida.