New Voices in Colorado

Who is protected from censorship?

All school-sponsored publications are protected at Colorado’s public schools. This includes newspapers, yearbooks, literary magazines, podcasts, broadcast, and more.

School employees are protected from professional consequences for refusing to censor student media or override their students’ publication decisions. 

What work can be censored?

Your work can only be restricted if it:

• Is obscene;
• Is libelous, slanderous, or defamatory under state law;
• Is false as to any person who is not a public figure or involved in a matter of public concern;

• Creates a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts, the violation of lawful school regulations, or the material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school;
• Violates the right of others to privacy; or 
• Threatens violence to property or persons. 

What happens if I’m being censored?

Try to get any communication from your school in writing, or write down your own memory of events as they happen. Contact the Student Press Law Center immediately.

• Know your press freedom rights and make sure others do as well. Spread the word about Colorado’s New Voices laws on social media and in your newsroom. 
• Help your colleagues better understand student press freedom by inviting an SPLC expert to join you: SPLC In The Classroom. 
• Host a public event (SPLC will be happy to join you remotely!). 
• Look up your school district’s student media or student free expression policy. (You can use this toolkit to help you find it and some examples of red flags to look out for.) If the policy seems like it endorses censorship or doesn’t match the New Voices law, let SPLC know!
• Advocate for even more student press freedom. Is the law not good enough? Talk with SPLC’s New Voices Advocacy and Organizing Team (newvoices@splc.org) about gaps you see in the law and how we can work to make it stronger.