For Sunshine Week 2016, the SPLC launched a new campaign to "stop secret police" by holding private universities' police departments accountable to public records laws.
News
Maryland Senate passes student press freedom legislation
The Maryland Senate voted 36-10 to pass the New Voices bill that would protect student journalists. The bill will now go to the state House.
Wyoming student emails are exempt from public records disclosure requirements under new state law
A new Wyoming law says that emails of students in public schools and colleges — even those in the student government — are not public record and are exempt from disclosure.
Montana school board upholds principal’s suspension for publishing “Free the Nipple” student newspaper edition
The principal was suspended for three days without pay because she did not censor an issue of the student newspaper that had explicit language and partially-nude photos.
Student journalists and online video: When are closed captions required?
New rules say that certain content delivered via the internet must be closed captioned. How does this affect student journalists?
Missouri House overwhelmingly passes student press freedom bill
MISSOURI — Nearly 30 years ago, Missouri was the birthplace of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that decided student newspapers are subject to a lower level of First Amendment protection. On Tuesday, the Missouri House of Representatives gave overwhelming support to a bill that would eradicate that notion from schools in the state. Lawmakers… Continue reading Missouri House overwhelmingly passes student press freedom bill
Missouri House overwhelmingly passes student press freedom bill
The Missouri House of Representatives passed the New Voices bill that would prevent administrative censorship 131-12.
Despite public interest in increased police transparency, most private universities shield police reports
The Student Press Law Center requested records from 30 private universities' police forces across the country. The vast majority were unwilling to part with the records, showing a hole in public access in higher education.
Private campus police forces’ records should be public, Indiana Court of Appeals rules — but legislation seeks to supersede ruling
The state appellate court ruled that Notre Dame's police force is a public agency subject to the public records law, but a bill heading to the governor's desk would shield private universities from releasing the same amount of records as public institutions.
Florida student news website files lawsuit against university for access to student government hearings
KnightNews.com filed an emergency complaint for a temporary injunction to require the University of Central Florida to open the student government Election Commission hearings to the public.