Students' First Amendment right to wear T-shirts with social or political statements is a fiercely disputed issue that regularly ends up in court. A new ruling from Tennessee adds to the consensus that speech on a T-shirt cannot be banned as "disruptive" just because it addresses an issue of social controversy such as LGBT rights.
A federal appeals court sided with the University of Hawaii's dismissal of a student who made unprofessional comments that the university believed rendered him unfit to enter the teaching profession. The ruling appears to lower the bar for the protection of students' speech when enrolled in a pre-professional program, enabling colleges to remove those students even without showing that their speech was unlawful or disruptive.
2015 was a rollercoaster year for student media and First Amendment rights in schools. Review the year's highs and lows in the SPLC's recap post.
Federal rules require "research" involving "human subjects" to be approved by colleges' Institutional Review Boards. Overzealous colleges occasionally have insisted that student journalists submit their surveys or questionnaires for institutional pre-approval, violating basic principles of press freedom. The SPLC is urging the federal government to adopt a proposal categorically removing journalism from the purview of IRBs.
University of Kansas officials have placed two fraternities on probation for hazing in the last academic year, but won’t disclose what the hazing entailed. Delta Tau Delta is accused of engaging in hazing in the fall; Phi Beta Sigma, in the spring. Documents given to reporters disclose the punishments (including being barred from candidate intake… Continue reading University of Kansas: hazing is protected by FERPA, but discipline isn’t
"If sunlight is the best disinfectant, then you ought to be the sunlight. In other words, be a champion of your own cause by making sure that your voice is heard."
Catherine Ross, law professor at George Washington University, discusses her new book "Lessons in Censorship: How Schools and Courts Subvert Students' First Amendment Rights." Frank LoMonte: Welcome to another edition of the Student Press Law Center monthly podcast. I’m Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center. The SPLC is an advocate for the rights… Continue reading December 2015 Podcast: Students’ First Amendment Rights in Schools
The Student Press Law Center and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education have both sent letters of concern to the University of California at San Diego chancellor about the defunding of 13 student media outlets.
The Student Press Law Center and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Supreme Court to hear the case of a Mississippi student rapper punished for a profane song posted to YouTube.
Patricia Roberts, who lost her job as the sole journalism professor at Delta State University in a round of budget cuts earlier this year, died from ovarian cancer earlier this month.