Student journalists around the country feared the Hazelwood case — arising from a Missouri principal's decision to censor newspaper articles about teen pregnancy and divorce — would create a "chilling effect" by making it easer for high schools to censor speech, especially in student publications.
Author: Maggie Beckwith
Walking a fine (color) line
Only a few hours after the Little Hawk staff distributed its October edition — with a cover story about students' attitudes toward race, including a colorful pie chart indicating 13 percent of students polled viewed blacks unfavorably and 2 percent viewed whites unfavorably — the principal pulled all remaining copies, saying the issue caused a disruption.
Some officials silence 'Jena Six' demonstrations
Several students around the country felt the chill of censorship as they commented on or showed their support for the "Jena Six" -- the name given to the six black students in Louisiana who activists point to as symbols of racial injustice in the legal system.
Free-speech rights upheld in modern-day Tinker
Just months after a lone United States Supreme Court Justice said he thought "the Constitution does not afford students a right to free speech in public schools," a federal district judge upheld three students' rights in a modern-day Tinker case, affirming once again that students can wear black armbands as a silent protest and do not lose their First Amendment rights at school.
Lit mag at Loyola Chicago retains funding despite criticism of sex issue
The Loyola University of Chicago student government decided not to adopt legislation at yesterday's meeting that would remove the editor in chief and take away funding from a student magazine whose front cover featured art of a woman scantily clad and wearing underwear with the word ''slut'' on it.
Free-speech suit continues over policies enacted as settlement in prior case
A school district might have "chilled" student speech in its efforts to comply with a prior settlement reached with theACLU by requiring students to participate in anti-harassment training andimplementing a policy that forbade language that insults or stigmatizes anindividual's sexual orientation, a federal appeals court ruled Oct.26.
Student in N.Y. sent home for wearing pro-gay T-shirt
A New York Civil Liberties Union representative attended a school board meeting Oct. 23 to try and reach an agreement with the district on how to address the principal's "mistake" in sending home a student wearing a shirt with the message "gay? fine by me."
Copies of paper collected in response to survey of students' racial attitudes
An Iowa principal pulled all remaining copies of thestudent newspaper -- with a front-page survey indicating 13 percent ofstudents polled viewed blacks unfavorably and 2 percent viewed whitesunfavorably -- after three separate altercations between black and whitestudents.
'Advisory board' formed after Ga. student paper runs 'Modest Proposal'-style satire
An "editorial advisory board" will overseepublication of East Coweta High School's student newspaper in response to theSeptember issue, which contained several "negative" articles -- including a columncriticizing a school beauty pageant and a satire suggesting that low-performing fifth-graders be executed -- the principal announced Tuesday.
Court: Censorship of Conservative Club posters in Mass. illegal
MASSACHUSETTS -- A lawsuit alleging that a high schoolillegally censored a conservative club's flier -- which referred to a Website with photos of Iraqis beheading an American -- will continue, afederal judge ruled Oct. 4.