A Portland high school’s newspaper is fighting to distribute copies of its first issue that were confiscated by administrators who didn’t like that the paper published a screenshot of a profane tweet.
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Big Bird and Fair Use: What’s allowed?
One of the great memes of this 2012 election has been Big Bird, prompted by a comment by Republican candidate Mitt Romney about funding for PBS in the first presidential debate. After President Barack Obama used Big Bird in a campaign ad, we got a lot of questions about copyright law and fair use.
Minnesota teens fight school's ban on yearbook content
Students and parents are upset at a Minnesota high school that won’t let the school’s yearbook include a memorial page for a suicide victim or allow a senior to include her daughter in her senior picture.
Texas cheerleaders can keep religious banners, judge rules
Texas high school cheerleaders have won the right to keep displaying religious banners at sporting events until their case goes to trial in June.The case first came up in September when the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained, after a tip from a local resident, about the religious-themed banners used by Kountze High School cheerleaders for players to burst through at the start of football games.A temporary restraining order allowed students to continue to putting religious messages on run-through banners. A Hardin County judge extended that order Thursday, telling the school district to cease censoring the speech on the girls' banners. In granting the preliminary injunction, the judge said the ban on banners was infringing on the cheerleaders' constitutional and statutory rights by prohibiting religious expression.“I think we were right on the facts and the law,” said David Starnes, the attorney for the cheerleaders.Before the hearing Thursday, the cheerleaders received support from both Texas Gov.
Appeals court overturns ruling in case involving suspended Missouri high school bloggers
A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that allowed two high school students to return to their school after they were suspended for creating a blog about their classmates that the school said was disruptive.
Memphis administrators respond to “Break FERPA” campaign
When we launched our Break FERPA campaign, we wanted to see how universities would respond when students asked for their own records in the same over-broad way schools use when withholding public records.Would schools maintain their previously held position, and turn over all the emails, notes, memos, video, audio, parking tickets or phone records where a student is personally identifiable, even if not mentioned by name?
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: Can’t tell the players without a scorecard — so get one.
What's the most useful thing hanging on your newsroom wall?If you said the instructions for the coffee-maker, or the menu for the late-night pizza delivery place ... okay, it's hard to argue with that.
Charges against Georgia student journalists arrested in Occupy protests will be dropped, mayor says
Charges against two student journalists arrested last year while covering Occupy Atlanta protests will be dropped, the city’s mayor said Saturday.
Salt Lake Tribune wins release of records documenting coach's inappropriate relationship
Records documenting an inappropriate relationship between a student and a former high school football coach aren’t protected by FERPA, a Utah committee on public records has ruled.
Tulane editor suing Louisiana for football attendance records
The editor of Tulane’s student newspaper is suing the state of Louisiana for attendance records from football games the school played at the Superdome.