In a friend-of-the-court brief with a federal court of appeals, the Student Press Law Center argues that a ruling which allowed a Nevada school to punish two brothers who non-disruptively protested a school uniform code should be overturned, on the basis of the First Amendment.
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Two Kansas universities are in legal dispute over supervising student speech off campus
Kansas State University and Kansas University are involved in a legal dispute regarding how heavily universities can and should supervise student speech off campus under the guidelines set by Title IX.
Wisconsin appeals court rejects newspaper’s petition for access to school district notes
A Wisconsin appeals court recently ruled that notes made by school district officials during an investigation into hazing allegations are not public records under state law.
Texas high school student released from administrative directive, but questions still remain
The Texas high school student who was thrust into the national spotlight when a school administrator ordered him to take down his online photo gallery is awaiting confirmation that he will be allowed to repost his pictures.
NYC to appeal ruling opening schools' leadership meetings to public
The New York City Department of Education has directed school principals to ignore a state court decision holding that schools' decision-making bodies are subject to the state's open meetings law.
Colleges cannot enforce gag orders on sexual assault victims
A Pomona College student was told she could not share any details of the sanctions imposed on the man who sexually assaulted her twice, but the nondisclosure policy has no basis in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or the Clery Act.
Judge rules school security videos subject to FERPA protections
Security video footage of a public school should remain classified as an educational record under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Judge Michele Christiansen of the Utah Court of Appeals ruled May 29.
SPLC's Sara Gregory recognized with APME First Amendment Award for investigative reporting on campus sexual assaults
A Columbus Dispatch/SPLC collaborative investigation wins national recognition from the Association Press Managing Editors for shining a spotlight on the secretive campus disciplinary system and how sexual assaults systematically go underreported and result in lenient punishment.
Rider tacked onto Wisconsin state budget would limit public access to searches for top university jobs
In a proposal slipped into the state budget that wasn't considered through the normal process for bills, Wisconsin legislators are proposing to repeal a requirement that makes public universities disclose the top five candidates for chancellor, president and other top positions. Instead, the public would be entitled only to the names of those "seriously considered," which might be just one name. Open-government advocates are decrying the maneuver as a step backward for public accountability.
Free-speech groups urge Kansas court to set boundaries for college punitive authority over students' off-campus social media speech
In a friend-of-the-court brief, First Amendment groups say a Kansas district court correctly ruled that the University of Kansas lacked authority to punish a student for violating a no-contact order on the basis of insulting tweets on a privacy-protected Twitter account.