Dozens of students at a California high school are protesting a new social media contract that would ban a wide array of speech and behavior, including anything deemed “inappropriate” by school administrators.
Author: Sara Gregory
Third Circuit appeals court backs students in 'Boobies' bracelet case
Schools cannot censor student speech about political or social issues just because it “has the potential to offend,” a federal circuit court said Monday.
Florida state trooper responsible for University of North Florida newspaper theft
Last month, we reported on the theft of thousands of newspapers at the University of North Florida. At the time, editors and police hadn't yet determined who was responsible for the theft, some of which was captured on surveillance video.Now, the paper has learned that a state trooper with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has admitted responsibility for at least some the thefts. According to reports in The Spinnaker, UNF police recognized one of the two men in the video as a highway patrol officer, and contacted Florida Highway Patrol.
Penn State’s silence on Clery report shows need for public records reform
Last week, the Department of Education issued its preliminary report, part of its investigation into whether Pennsylvania State University violated the Clery Act in its handling of allegations of sexual abuse by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. It will likely be years, though, before the public learns what the department uncovered in its far-reaching review of campus safety practices at the school since 1998 — one of the largest and most high-profile investigations ever.The reason for the secrecy is two-fold. A federal law requires the Department of Education to maintain the confidentiality of any program reviews until the final program report is issued.
Say hello to the SPLC’s summer interns!
We'd like to introduce you to our newest summer interns, Margaret Baum and Allie Russell, as well as Sara Tirrito, who interned with us this spring and is staying on through the summer.
While you were taking a holiday, so did the Bill of Rights and government transparency
Over the weekend, quite a few stories involving student rights caught our eye. In case you missed them over the long holiday, here's everything you need to know:
- In New York, a high school senior was suspended after he started a hashtag for students to discuss the school district's budget, which failed to get voter approval last week.
College won’t give you public records about crime? Maybe it’s because … crime, what crime, we didn’t see any crime.
This morning, I learned that Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina is being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation after city police discovered at least 126 reports of crimes since 2007 that campus police failed to investigate, including 18 reports of sexual assaults.When I saw the news, I was immediately reminded of a series of public-records request that I and others at the SPLC have made in the past few months.
University of Oklahoma student journalist sues for access to parking tickets
A University of Oklahoma student is suing for access to parking ticket records the school says are protected by a federal education privacy law.
States can restrict public records to residents, Supreme Court rules
In February, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving requests for public records from out-of-state residents.Monday, the court issued its unanimous opinion in the case, McBurney v.
American University newspaper reports newspaper theft after publishing story about hazing allegations
Nearly every copy of American University's student newspaper were taken from the campus racks this morning shortly after they were distributed. The weekly paper's cover was dedicated to an exclusive report on a hazing investigation being conducted at one of the school's fraternities.