First passed in 1995 and updated in 2019, the law was one of the first so-called “anti-Hazelwood laws” in the country specifically passed to counter the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1988 decision in Hazelwood Sch. Dist. v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260. The law protects the press freedom of Arkansas’s public school and public higher education student journalists and higher education student media advisers. The law says that student media cannot be censored by school officials, except in certain narrow circumstances, and that college and university advisers cannot be penalized for refusing to infringe on their students’ press rights.
This brochure, which was last updated in August 2023, provides information about the law and its impacts on student journalists, advisers and school officials. It is not exhaustive and should not be considered a substitute for legal advice. If you have specific questions about the law, please contact the Student Press Law Center’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp.
Jump to:
• About the Student Press Law Center
• Executive Summary
• Public School Students
• College and University Students
• Advisers
• School officials
• Resources
About the Student Press Law Center
The Student Press Law Center (SPLC) is an independent, non-partisan 501c(3) which works at the intersection of law, journalism and education to promote, support and defend the First Amendment and press freedom rights of student journalists and their advisers at the high school and college level. The SPLC uses the law to help students of all ages meaningfully participate in civic life and learn essential skills, ethics and values through the vehicle of journalism. The SPLC provides information, training and legal assistance at no charge to student journalists and the educators who work with them. For more information, visit www.splc.org or contact our legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp.
Executive Summary
Details about the law and its protections for public high school, college and university student journalists and advisers are enclosed within. To summarize, the law says:
- Every public school district must have a policy recognizing the ability of students to exercise their First Amendment rights, including in school-sponsored media.
- Public school student media is not protected if it:
- Is obscene to minors;
- Constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy;
- So incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on school premises, the violation of lawful school rules, or the material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school; or
- Harasses, threatens or intimidates a student.
- Public higher education student journalists determine the content of student media.
- Higher education school officials can only restrict student media that:
- Is libelous, slanderous, or obscene;
- Constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy;
- Violates federal or state law;
- Constitute or incites students as to create an unlawful act a clear and present danger of the commission of an unlawful act, a violation of institution or Division of Higher Education policy, or a material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the college or university; or
- Involves the unauthorized use of the marks or logos of a public institution of higher education.
- College or university media advisers cannot be penalized for refusing to censor, interfere with or overrule student decisions relating to lawful school-sponsored media.
Other laws may also protect your speech from censorship. Contact the Student Press Law Center’s legal hotline immediately at splc.org/legalhelp/ if you are or believe you may be receiving pressure to cut, edit, or amend your student media.
Calls to the legal hotline are confidential unless and until you approve otherwise.
Public School Students
A.C.A. § 6-18-1201 to -1205
Summary
The law protects the press freedom of Arkansas’s public school student journalists. The law says that school districts must “recognize that students may exercise their right of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
School-sponsored media
The law protects anything that is “prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcasted by a student,” that is “distributed or generally made available, either free of charge or for a fee, to members of the student body,” and “prepared under the direction of a student media adviser.” This includes newspapers, yearbooks, broadcast channels, audio or video programs, literary magazines, and other forms of media that may evolve in the future.
School-sponsored media does not include projects you do just for class, your personal social media (which may be protected by other laws or court decisions), or anything you distribute to the student body on your own time without an adviser involved.
Censorship
Censorship can take many forms, but in general it is any action that is meant to stop, dissuade, or discourage you from producing or distributing student media. Sometimes it is overt (“you may not publish this”) but sometimes there are more subtle forms of censorship. This can include, but is not limited to, requiring that a story be withheld or changed, “reviewing” a student piece until the publication deadline has passed, threats to change your grades unless some aspect of a piece is changed, outright or suggested cuts to your student media program’s funding following a controversial piece, reassignment of your adviser, or the disappearance/destruction of student media once you have distributed it. If you believe you have experienced or are at risk of censorship, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline immediately at splc.org/legalhelp/.
Prior restraint and prior review
Prior restraint is when a school official tells you that you cannot publish a story or takes action to prevent you from doing so. Prior restraint is limited by the First Amendment.
School officials sometimes engage in prior review, which is where they view student media before it is distributed. If your school officials engage in prior review and hold your student media for more than 72 hours, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/.
Unprotected speech
The law does allow for school officials to restrict some student media, just as you can be penalized for saying certain things in class.
Student media is not authorized if it:
- Is obscene to minors, as defined by state law;
- Is libelous or slanderous, as defined by state law;
- Constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy, as defined by state law;
- So incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on school premises, the violation of lawful school rules, or the material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school; and
- Harasses, threatens, or intimidates a student.
Following sound journalism practices and ethics will help ensure your work does not meet any of these criteria. If you are concerned that your work falls into one of these categories, you should talk with your adviser, the Student Press Law Center, or other legal counsel. You can do this at any point in the research, production or distribution process.
School policy
Every school district is required to have a written student media policy. The law explicitly requires that this policy be developed with input from student media advisers. Policies enacted without such input are arguably invalid. These policies must recognize that students may exercise their First Amendment right of expression, including in student media. They must also “recognize that truth, fairness, accuracy, and responsibility are essential to the practice of journalism.”
These policies are a public record. If you cannot find the policy or it does not match what is described in this brochure, contact the Student Press Law Center.
If you’ve been censored
If you believe or suspect that you have been censored or are about to be censored, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline as soon as possible at splc.org/legalhelp/. There are a range of options available to you. Whenever possible, write down the dates, times and description of events as they happen to help keep your facts in order and establish a timeline.
FAQs
What is libel? What is slander?
Libel is the publication of false statements of fact that seriously harm a person’s reputation. Slander is the speaking of false statements of fact that seriously harm a person’s reputation. If a statement is true, it cannot be libelous or slanderous, no matter how harmful it is to the person’s reputation.
What is a “material and substantial disruption”?
A substantial disruption is anything that could so interfere with the school day as to make normal school activities nearly impossible. This is decided on a case-by-case basis, but could include walkouts, fights, interruptions to class, or harassment of teachers or students. This “substantial disruption” standard was established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Tinker vs. Des Moines decision many years ago, so your administrators and advisers have plenty of practice applying it to student speech. Remember, the law does not prohibit you from reporting on these things, just from inciting them.
Isn’t freedom of the press protected by the First Amendment?
Yes, but the U.S. Supreme Court has given public schools some authority to restrict the activities of students. A U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District allows school officials to restrict student speech in certain narrow circumstances (including if it would cause a “material disruption” in the school community or could be libelous or slanderous). Another Supreme Court decision known as Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier allowed schools broader authority to censor student journalist’s speech. As a result, many school districts have censored students for reasons that have nothing to do with legitimate pedagogical concerns. Arkansas was one of the first states in the country to pass what were then called “anti-Hazelwood laws” (now known more commonly as New Voices laws) to counter the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision.
If my school is sued for libel because of content in our student media, who is responsible?
The students who created and published the content. However, libel lawsuits against high school journalists are exceptionally rare. (In fact, when this brochure went to press, there had not been a single reported case in the U.S. finding a school district liable for work published by its student media.) As long as you are following standard journalistic practices you should not have to worry.
Can my adviser tell me there are problems with my article?
Your adviser may teach you English and journalism standards, and may give you feedback regarding your article including questioning if something you have written is untruthful or ensuring you are prepared for any controversy. Unless your speech falls within one of the unprotected speech categories above, however, they are restricted in their ability to stop you from distributing your work.
How do I know if I’m being censored?
If nobody has expressly told you “don’t publish this,” it can be easy to tell yourself you’re not being censored or that you are overreacting. Talk with your adviser, parents and the SPLC if you suspect you are receiving any pressure to hold or edit material that does not contain unprotected speech.
Can my principal ask to review something before we distribute it?
This is called “prior review,” and while it’s not expressly prohibited by this law there is certainly no need for your principal to engage in it unless they have reason to believe you are engaging in unprotected speech. In fact, the practice of mandatory prior review by administrators has been roundly condemned by every major journalism education group in the country as the wrong way to teach young journalists. If your principal asks to review your materials before publication, ask if there is anything they are concerned about. If your principal does engage in prior review and holds your work for more than 72 hours, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/.
What if my adviser or principal says something is unprotected and I disagree?
They should be able to tell you exactly why it is unprotected, including pointing to the specific law or rule you are violating or giving you a clear reason why they believe your work presents a material and substantial disruption. If they do not give you this information within 72 hours or you disagree with their decision, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/.
I go to a private school. Am I protected?
This law does not apply to you at this time. Private schools have more ability to restrict student speech than public schools. However, you may still be able to push back against censorship at your school. Contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/ for more information.
College and University Students
A.C.A. § 6-60-1101 to -1103
Summary
The law protects the press freedom of Arkansas’s student journalists in public colleges and universities. The law says that student media cannot be censored except in certain very narrow circumstances, and that advisers cannot be penalized for refusing to infringe upon their students’ press rights.
School-sponsored media
The law protects anything that is “prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcast by a student journalist” at a public college or university, which is “distributed or generally made available to members of the student body” and “prepared under the direction of a student media adviser.” This includes newspapers, yearbooks, broadcast channels, literary magazines, and other forms of media that may evolve in the future.
School-sponsored media does not cover projects you do just for class, your personal social media (which may be protected by other laws or court decisions), or anything you distribute to the student body on your own time without an adviser involved.
Media content
Student journalists “are responsible for determining the news, opinion, features, and advertising content” of school-sponsored media. While your adviser may make suggestions and offer feedback, you make the final decision about what is, and is not, included. This also means that you are responsible for the final product, including any praise, criticisms, or (in very rare circumstances) lawsuits.
Censorship
Censorship can take many forms, but in general it is any action that is meant to stop, dissuade, or discourage you from producing or distributing student media. Sometimes it is overt (“you may not publish this”) but sometimes there are more subtle forms of censorship. This can include, but is not limited to, any requirement that a story be withheld or changed, “reviewing” a student piece until the publication deadline has passed, threats to change your grades, remove you from your position or otherwise punish you unless some aspect of a piece is changed, outright or suggested cuts to your student media program’s funding following a controversial piece, reassignment of your adviser, or the disappearance/destruction of student media once you have distributed it. If you believe you have experienced or are at risk of censorship, contact the SPLCs legal hotline immediately at splc.org/legalhelp/.
Unprotected speech
In general, the courts have held that college and university student journalists cannot be censored by school officials. However, it still happens. This law makes clear that school officials may only limit the speech of college student journalists in very specific circumstances.
School officials may only prohibit student media that:
- Is libelous, slanderous or obscene under state law;
- Constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy;
- Violates federal or state law;
- Constitutes or incites students as to create an unlawful act or a clear and present danger of the commission of an unlawful act, a violation of Division of Higher Education or college or university policies, or a material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the college or university; or
- Involves the unauthorized use of the marks or logos of a public institution of higher education.
If your media content does not fall into one of those categories, school officials cannot stop you from producing or distributing it. They also cannot penalize your adviser for your decision to produce or distribute the media.
Following sound journalism practices and ethics will help ensure your work does not meet any of these criteria. If you are concerned that your work falls into one of these categories, you should talk with your adviser, the Student Press Law Center, or other legal counsel. You can do this at any point in the research, production or distribution process.
Prior restraint and prior review
Prior restraint is when a school official tells you that you cannot publish a story or takes action to prevent you from doing so. Prior restraint is limited by the First Amendment and this law.
College officials sometimes attempt to engage in prior review, which is where they view school-sponsored media before it is distributed. Courts have made clear that imposing mandatory administrative prior review at the college level violates the First Amendment.
If you’ve been censored
If you believe or suspect that you have been censored or are about to be censored, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline as soon as possible at splc.org/legalhelp/. There are a range of options available to you. Whenever possible, write down the dates, times and description of events as they happen to help keep your facts in order and establish a timeline.
FAQs
Can my adviser tell me there are problems with my article?
Your adviser can teach you English and journalism standards, and may give you feedback regarding your article including questioning if something you have written is untrue or ensuring you are prepared for any resulting controversy. Unless your work contains unprotected content, they cannot stop you from moving forward with the piece.
How do I know if I’m being censored?
If nobody has expressly told you “don’t publish this,” it can be easy to tell yourself you’re not being censored or are overreacting. Talk with your adviser and the SPLC if you suspect you are receiving any pressure not to put out material that does not contain unprotected speech.
What is a “material and substantial disruption?”
A substantial disruption is anything that could so interfere with the school environment as to make normal school activities impossible. This is decided on a case-by-case basis, but could include walkouts, fights, interruptions to class, or harassment of teachers or students. Remember, the law does not prohibit you from reporting on these things, just from inciting them.
If my school is sued for libel because of the content of our student media, who is responsible?
You. However, libel lawsuits against student journalists are very rare. As long as you are following journalistic standards and ethics, you should not encounter a problem.
Can our school administration ask to review something before we distribute it?
They can ask, but you are not required to let them review it. This often happens when a university public relations official wants to “check in” on a story. If school officials, including the public relations department, ask to review your work, ask if there is anything they are concerned about before deciding whether or not to grant permission for them to see it. If you feel pressured to turn over your work, this is censorship and you should contact the SPLC’s legal hotline immediately at splc.org/legalhelp/.
I go to a private school. Am I protected?
This law does not apply to you at this time. Private schools have more ability to restrict student speech than public schools. However, you may still be able to push back against censorship at your school. Contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/ for more information.
Advisers
A.C.A. § 6-18-1201 to -1205 (public school) and A.C.A. § 6-60-1101 to -1103 (higher education)
Summary
The law protects college or university student media advisers from retaliation for refusing to infringe upon your students’ rights. Advisers cannot be “dismissed, suspended, or disciplined for protecting a student journalist or refusing to infringe on student journalists’ lawful speech. At this time, the law does not protect elementary and secondary school advisers.
Media content
Public college and university student journalists are responsible for “determining the news, opinions, features, and other advertising content” of the media. While you may make suggestions and offer feedback, you cannot sway or overrule the students’ final decisions about what is, and what is not, included in school-sponsored media.
Adviser protection
Often, advisers report that censorship of school-sponsored media means professional consequences for them instead of academic ones for the student. Under this law, a college or university student media adviser cannot be “dismissed, suspended, disciplined, reassigned, transferred, or otherwise retaliated against” for refusing to overrule, suppress or interfere with lawful student media expression.
Unprotected speech
The law does allow for school officials to restrict student media content in some narrow circumstances.
Elementary and secondary school student media is not authorized if it:
- Is obscene to minors, as defined by state law;
- Is libelous or slanderous, as defined by state law;
- Constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy, as defined by state law;
- So incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on school premises, the violation of lawful school rules, or the material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school; or
- Harasses, threatens, or intimidates a student.
College and university student media can only be restricted if it:
- Is libelous, slanderous or obscene under state law;
- Constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy;
- Violates federal or state law;
- Constitutes or incites students as to create an unlawful act or a clear and present danger of the commission of an unlawful act, a violation of Division of Higher Education or college or university policies, or a material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the college or university; or
- Involves the unauthorized use of the marks or logos of a public institution of higher education.
Unless the student media meets these criteria, the media cannot be restricted and you cannot be penalized for refusing to restrict it. If the student has a strong understanding of sound journalism practices and ethics, their work is unlikely to fall into any of these criteria.
Even if student media falls into one of these categories, it may be protected by the First Amendment or other laws. Just because this law says your speech can be censored for these reasons does not mean it should. If your student media is censored, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline immediately at splc.org/legalhelp/.
Prior restraint and prior review
Prior restraint is when a school official tells you that you cannot publish a story or takes action to prevent you from doing so. Prior restraint is limited by the First Amendment and this law.
School officials sometimes engage in prior review, which is where they view school-sponsored media before it is distributed. If your school officials engage in prior review and hold your student media for more than 72 hours, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/.
Censorship and retaliation
Censorship can take many forms, but in general it is any action that is meant to stop, dissuade, or discourage a student from producing or distributing student media. This can include, but is not limited to, strong suggestions that a story be withheld or changed, “reviewing” a student piece until the publication deadline has passed, threats to change a student’s grades unless an aspect of a student media piece is changed, or the disappearance/destruction of student media once it has been distributed.
Often, advisers report that the censorship took the form of professional consequences for them instead of academic ones for the student. This has included loss of funding for the student media program, adviser reassignment, meetings or phone calls with administrators in which the administration’s dislike of a story is the main topic, or pressure from other teachers and school employees. If you believe you have experienced or are at risk of retaliation, contact the SPLC’s legal hotline immediately at splc.org/legalhelp/.
If your student has been censored or you have been retaliated against
Contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp. There are a range of options available to you. Whenever possible, right down the dates, times, and description of events as they happen to help keep your facts in order and establish a timeline.
FAQs
Can I suggest my students not run an article? What if my student produces something I suspect will be disruptive?
You can share your concerns with your students, but unless the work includes unprotected speech, the decision is ultimately theirs. If you believe your student is planning to distribute work which meets the criteria for unprotected speech, you should be as clear as possible with them about the concerns and the reasons why you believe their work is not protected by the Arkansas Student Publications Act.
How can I ensure the law protects me in the future?
A number of state New Voices laws expressly prohibit retaliation against public school student media advisers who refuse to infringe on their students’ free press rights. To learn more about how to get such a law passed in Arkansas, visit splc.org/new-voices/.
I work at a private school or in higher education. Am I protected?
The law does not expressly protect you at this time. However, your speech may still be protected by law. Contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/ for more information.
What do I do if the administration tells me to edit or stop something from being distributed?
Contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/.
School Officials
A.C.A. § 6-18-1201 to -1205 (public school) and A.C.A. § 6-60-1101 to -1103 (higher education)
Summary
The law says that public school and public higher education student media cannot be censored except in certain specific circumstances. The law also prohibits terminating or otherwise disciplining a public college or university student media adviser who refuses to infringe upon student press rights.
School-sponsored media
The law covers any media that is “prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcast” by a student journalist at a public school or public institution of higher education, that is “distributed or generally made available” to the student body and “prepared under the direction of a student media adviser.” This includes newspapers, yearbooks, broadcast channels, literary magazines, and any other form of media that may evolve in the future.
Student media does not include projects students do just for class, their personal social media (which may be protected by other laws and/or court decisions), or anything they distribute to the student body on their own time without an adviser involved.
Media content
Public college and university student journalists are responsible for “determining the news, opinions, features, and other advertising content” of the media. While advisers may make suggestions and offer feedback, they cannot sway the students’ final decisions about what is, and what is not, included. This also means that student journalists are responsible for the final product, including receiving any praise, criticisms or (in very rare circumstances) lawsuits.
Public school districts are required to have a policy in place asserting the students’ right to expression consistent with the First Amendment, including in school-sponsored media.
Prior restraint and prior review
Prior restraint is when a school official tells a student journalist they cannot publish a story, or takes any action to prevent the student journalist from doing so. Prior restraint is limited by the First Amendment and this law.
College officials sometimes attempt to engage in prior review, which is where they view student media before it is published or distributed. Courts have made clear that imposing mandatory administrative prior review at the college level violates the First Amendment.
Unprotected speech
The law brings the speech rights of student journalists in line with the standard for all other student speech set forth in Tinker vs. Des Moines, and allows for the restriction of student media in certain narrow circumstances.
Elementary and secondary school student media is not authorized if it:
- Is obscene to minors, as defined by state law;
- Is libelous or slanderous, as defined by state law;
- Constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy, as defined by state law;
- So incites students as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on school premises, the violation of lawful school rules, or the material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school; and
- Harasses, threatens, or intimidates a student.
College and university student media can only be restricted if:
- Is libelous, slanderous or obscene under state law;
- Constitutes an unwarranted invasion of privacy;
- Violates federal or state law;
- Constitutes or incites students as to create an unlawful act or a clear and present danger of the commission of an unlawful act, a violation of Division of Higher Education or college or university policies, or a material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the college or university; or
- Involves the unauthorized use of the marks or logos of a public institution of higher education.
Material and substantial disruption
A substantial disruption is anything that could so interfere with the school day as to make school activities nearly impossible. The material and substantial disruption exemption applies only if a student journalist is inciting the disruption; reporting on a controversial topic is itself not sufficient cause for restricting student speech. These are taken on a case-by-case basis, but there should be an articulable risk of disruption, informed by specific facts, including past history at the school and current events influencing student behavior.
Whenever a risk of material and substantial disruption occurs, school officials should consider all other avenues of alleviating this disruption before resorting to censorship. School officials are required to inform student journalists before the censorship occurs why the censorship is necessary and give students the timely opportunity to appeal.
Types of censorship
Censorship can take many forms, but in general it is any action that is meant to stop, dissuade, or urge a student journalist not to produce or distribute student media. While some students have been explicitly told not to publish a particular story, others have faced more subtle forms of censorship. This can include, but is not limited to, any requirement that a story be withheld or changed, “reviewing” a student piece until the publication deadline has passed, threats to change a student’s grades certain aspects of a piece are changed, outright or suggested cuts to the student media program’s funding following a controversial piece, reassignment of the student media adviser, or the disappearance/destruction of student media once it has been distributed.
Adviser protection
Often, advisers report that the censorship took the form of professional consequences for them instead of academic ones for the student. This has included loss of funding for the class or club, adviser reassignment, meetings or phone calls with administrators in which the administration’s dislike of a story is the main topic, or pressure from other teachers and coaches.
The law expressly states that no higher education student media adviser may be “dismissed, suspended, or disciplined” for protecting or refusing to infringe upon a student journalist who is not engaging in unprotected speech.
Student media policy
Every school district is required to have a written student media policy. The law explicitly requires that this policy be developed with input from student media advisers. Policies enacted without such input are arguably invalid. These policies must recognize that students may exercise their First Amendment right of expression, including in student media. They must also “recognize that truth, fairness, accuracy, and responsibility are essential to the practice of journalism.”
A model policy is available via the Student Press Law Center.
If a student is unlawfully censored or an adviser retaliated against
They have a range of options available to them.
FAQs
Doesn’t Hazelwood give school administrators the right to restrict student media?
The federal First Amendment provides a “floor” of federal legal protections. States cannot pass laws that provide less protection than that required by the First Amendment, but they can always provide more protections to their residents. Arkansas has joined a growing number of other states in enacting specific protections to student journalists and providing more concrete guidance to schools than that put forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier decision.
What do I tell angry parents when a student writes a controversial article?
The law makes clear that student journalists alone determine the content of school-sponsored media, and that content of student media is not an expression of school policy. Parents certainly have the option of registering their opinion with the student editor.
If my school is sued for libel or slander, who is responsible?
The student journalist. However, lawsuits against student journalists are exceedingly rare. (In fact, as of when this brochure went to press, there had not been a single officially reported case in the U.S. finding a school district liable for work published by its high school student media.)
Journalism standards and ethics prevent libel and slander. Schools should ensure that advisers and student journalists have adequate training and appropriate resources to thoroughly educate students on media law and journalistic ethics. Students can also reach out to the Student Press Law Center’s legal hotline for more guidance on libel and slander.
If student journalists report on rumors of a walkout, does that constitute a material and substantial disruption?
If they are simply reporting on information, no. The disruption already exists. If they are calling for a walkout and there is a history of such walkouts proving irreparably disruptive to the school, maybe. However, before resorting to the censorship of a student journalist you should consider whether the same call is already reaching students through social media and whether the work by the student journalist offers school officials an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue with the student body about their concerns.
Can I talk to a student journalist about my concerns relating to their article?
You can certainly help student journalists have as many facts as possible. Where the content is protected by law, however, you cannot require a student journalist to pull a story from school-sponsored media.
How can I get more information about the Student Free Expression Law and our rights and responsibilities?
Contact the SPLC’s legal hotline at splc.org/legalhelp/.
Resources
For more information or assistance on the Arkansas Student Publications Act, student press freedom, or other issues regarding student media, please contact:
