Navigating the “Danger Zone”: Tone Policing and the Bounding of Civility in the Practice of Student Voice

Although there is an interest in elevating youth voice within school settings, schools remain unprepared for the wide range of expression that may be included in soliciting youth voices, preferring polite expressions over overtly emotional or negative feelings expressed about school. This case study examines boundary setting in a youth voice initiative in a high school nationally known for their work around student voice. A critical incident of high emotion in the practice of student voice points toward the importance of recognizing the ways in which emotional expressions within and reactions to student voice shaped its acceptance and practice.