The First Amendment protects freedom of the press, including school newspapers, underground student press, and the Internet. Students’ speech rights, however, are not automatically the same as adults’ speech rights in all cases. That’s why students have to keep pushing to make sure their rights are protected. I wrote an essay about teen sex and pregnancy. But the teacher in charge of the school paper wouldn’t let us use my essay. She said the subject matter was inappropriate. When we went to the principal to complain, he agreed with the teacher! Doesn’t that go against freedom of speech and the press? If your paper is sponsored by the school, then the principal can block publication of your essay. Schools can limit what students say in official school publications or activities—like the newspaper, yearbook, or the school play—if they think its “inappropriate” or “harmful.” They can also remove or edit articles they think are obscene or too disruptive. School officials, however, aren’t allowed to censor a school newspaper just because it criticizes the school or school officials. And students are free to report the news—just like contributors to other newspapers. Why can schools censor what we say in the school newspaper?Schools own the official school newspaper and what is printed there reflects on the school itself, so teachers and administrators can restrict what gets printed. But they can only censor you if they show good reason, such as why it’s “inappropriate” for kids to read the censored speech. Unfortunately, schools often decide that important but controversial topics like teen pregnancy, alcohol abuse, or sex education are “inappropriate” and shouldn’t be published. The law in this area is complex, so if you have experienced censorship with an official school paper and aren’t satisfied with the school’s explanation you will likely need to get more legal advice. At our school paper, we submit our articles to the head of the English Department before they can go in our newspaper. Sometimes she gives the articles to the vice principal to see if he thinks they might cause trouble, like the editorial my friend wrote criticizing the school uniform policy. The day before the paper was supposed to come out, the vice principal told us that we couldn’t publish the editorial. He said it might encourage students not to follow the rules and someone might get in trouble. We had to fill in that extra page on really short notice, and it was difficult for everyone involved. I understand why the vice principal didn’t want us to publish it, but shouldn’t he have told us sooner? Yes, he should’ve told you sooner. While schools have some control over school publications, they also have to exercise that control in a way that isn’t unfair to you. Your school has to point out clearly whether the English teacher or the vice principal is in charge of approving articles. And they must tell you how long that school official gets to make the decision about an article. If that time passes and the official still hasn’t decided, then consider your article approved. Can any student try to get published in the school newspaper?Yes. Students who aren’t on the newspaper still can have access to its pages. Rules for submitting articles by non-staff members should be developed and distributed to all students.
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