*Photo courtesty of jglazer75 via Wikimedia Commons / CC 2.0
Current status: HB 5554 and HB 6041, both sponsored by Rep. Doug Dubitsky, were introduced in the House of Representatives in January. Both bills broadly protect student speech from censorship, except in certain circumstances. SPLC is working with the sponsor to ensure the protections specifically protect the content of student publications.
New Voices: No campaign yet, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Three of six New England states protect student media – why not Connecticut? For more information, contact our New Voices Advocacy and Organizing Team at newvoices@splc.org.
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• Get involved
• Why Connecticut needs New Voices
• Endorsements
• Recent news
Get involved
- Contact your state legislators to let them know why this legislation is important to you. Find out who your legislators are here. Not sure what to say? Check out our phone script and letter-writing tips here.
- Refine your thoughts with talking points, find answers to frequently asked questions, or find other resources here.
- Locate a copy of your school district’s student media or student expression policy. This toolkit can tell you everything you need to know about your policy and what you can do with it. Some student media policies offer legal protection equal to or even exceeding New Voices protections. If that’s the case, spread the word! (And let SPLC know, too.)
- Help your colleagues better understand student press freedom by inviting an SPLC expert to join you: SPLC In The Classroom.
- Spread the word about New Voices. Enlist all your friends in Connecticut to raise their voices in support of this measure, which ensures the basic First Amendment rights of student journalists and protects their advisers from retaliation.
- Host a public event (SPLC will be happy to join you remotely!).
- If you are a student or adviser who was censored, intimidated or retaliated against, contact SPLC’s legal hotline.
Why Connecticut needs New Voices
Endorsements
You can see the list of national endorsers at the bottom of this page.