The "pig in the parlor" refers to a growing area of censorship. In this paper, "parlor" stands for public schools, and "pig" for speech that need not be protected if it occurs at an inappropriate time or place, i.e., if such speech is not considered to bear the "imprimatur" of the schools. A review of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions affords insight into the meaning of free speech as a democratic value in the context of the public school setting. This review of Court cases focuses on: (1) a brief overview of the law governing free speech; (2) specific legal concepts pertinent to free speech in the context of the public schools; (3) a discussion of two recent Supreme Court decisions on free speech in schools and subsequent lower court decisions; and (4) some general conclusions concerning issues related to the conference's theme of "Ethics and Democratic Values in the Education Profession." The two cases discussed are the "Bethel School District No. 403 v. Fraser" and "Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier." (40 references) (SI)