Contrarian messages at Southern Lehigh

The administartion at Southern Lehigh High School clearly has overstepped their disciplinary authority in punishing a small handful of senior students for sending emails to the media regarding the seniors who camped in the courtyard at Southern Lehigh as a senior stunt. In case you missed it, a bunch of seniors threw a ladder up the wall at the school, climbed over and down into the courtyard, which is normally off limits after school hours, pitched tents, and camped out overnight earlier this week. These students will receive summary citations for defiant trespass, and one student may lose his status in the National Honor Society, which may of course, affect any scholarship opportunities he's received for college. Most likely, they'll have the kids work off the offense doing public service.
But what really infuriates me is that the school is now punishing two Southern Lehigh seniors who sent emails to the media commenting on the student campers' punishment. Understand that the emailers were not, I repeat, were not involved in the camping. These emailers, who were exercising their right to free speech, which is encouraged by the school, have now been suspended for 5 days for unauthorized use of the school computers(!). Are you kidding me?
In my day, senior pranks involved WAY more than camping in the courtyard and emailing the press. Man, I can't even say what we did, because... (well, it was a long time ago and my memory is fuzzy...but I'm sure it was dangerous and illegal and life threatening and is the reason why my memory is hazy...).
Come off it, Southern Lehigh Administrators. The right to speak should be ENCOURAGED - you should not be gagging (the emailers have been forbidden to speak to the media about it) and punishing these kids as if they were leaking Grand Jury testimony or something. THEY WERE EXERCISING THEIR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. You have taught the wrong lesson here - you have taught them that there is a contradiction in what you say officially and what you do officially when put to the test. The First Amendment is not to be applied only when convenient.
I get that you should punish the campers in some way - I'm sure your insurance carrier is jumping all over you about liability issues - after all, if one of the campers choked on one of the pretzels he was eating, or if he broke his pinky falling off the ladder, the parents might sue you for not having a 24 hour security watch or some such silliness. But punishing kids for exercising their right to free speech, even if it is generated on school district equipment, is an easy out on a technicality for you. I'm sure that if the kids sent it from their home email accounts, you would have found a different technicality to punish them with, because let's face it, you were embarassed. Your reaction is way over the line and you blew what could have been a wonderful, "teachable" moment for these kids.