Web sites such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com can offer a relaxed, online forum for students to vent about the usual adolescent quandaries ' classmates, school, homework and parents ' and those sites are often read by peers, and in some cases, school officials.
Author: April Hale
Native tongue
In tribal college media, student journalists and their advocates say they treasure independence, and they know that in the past, freedom of the press has been considered optional by school officials.
Lawsuits explore religion, freedom of expression
In September, a federal court ruled the that Saginaw School District in Michigan had violated the First Amendment rights of Hadley Elementary School student Joel Curry when the school did not allow him to hand out an ornament with a religious message attached.
Parents sue New Jersey school district after students prohibited from wearing Hitler Youth buttons
The parents of two students who protested a school uniform policy with buttons depicting the Hitler Youth have filed a lawsuit after their children were told they could no longer wear the button because it was offensive.
Rhode Island student files lawsuit after medieval senior photo rejected
A senior at Portsmouth High School filed a lawsuit against the school Tuesday because it refused to publish a yearbook photo that depicted him dressed in medieval garb with a sword.
Supreme Court will hear 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' case
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Friday that it will hear a student freedom of expression case that involves a high school student’s right to display a banner at an off-campus event.
Middle school created limited public forum and could not censor, court says
A federal district court ruled last month that the Saginaw School District violated a fifth-grade student’s First Amendment rights when school officials stopped him from handing out a religious message distributed to his classmates as part of a school project.
Middle school allegedly prohibits student from reading Bible
The Rutherford Institute, a Virginia-based non-profit civil liberties group, filed a lawsuit last week against the Prince George’s County School District for violating a teenage girl’s First and 14th Amendment rights when they allegedly stopped her from reading a Bible.
New York City students subject to new punishments
The New York City Department of Education’s decision to adopt a more strict punishment for students who express themselves outside of school grounds using the Internet is raising constitutional questions among some free expression advocates.
Student paper decides to stop lawsuit seeking access to presidential candidate interviews
The South Dakota State University Collegian has voluntarily halted its lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction against the university’s board of regents because the presidential candidate interviews it sought to open have been completed.