The most effective schools govern from a place of trust, and the least effective from a place of fear. Nowhere is this clearer than in schools’ approach to the use of technology, where the widening gap between “haves” and “have-nots” is being worsened by policies that lock away access to Gmail, YouTube and other learning resources students use comfortably and safely everywhere except school.
News
Catch student rights fever in the Report archive
It is easier today than ever to trace the decline in regard for student rights, because – thanks to the efforts of Publications Fellow Brian Schraum and intern Sam Tobin – every edition of the Reportmagazine is now viewable online, either through the www.splc.org website or on Issuu.
N.H. school board ordered to turn over sealed meeting minutes
A district’s school board must make public the minutes of a private board meeting about possible misuse of funds, a state judge has ruled.
Ind. middle schooler settles ‘boobies’ bracelet lawsuit, still won’t be allowed to wear it
An Indiana middle school student has settled his free speech lawsuit over an “I (Heart) Boobies” breast cancer awareness bracelet, but will not be allowed to wear it.The Twin Lakes School Corporation and “L.G.,” an eighth grader who was told he could not wear the bracelet, have decided to drop the case, according to school district attorney Tom Wheeler.No money will change hands as a result of the settlement, he said, and the district’s policy will not change.Wheeler said the bracelets cannot be worn in the eighth grade or below, but may be worn in high school as long as they don’t cause a disruption.
Protect students’ rights to use online media to expose wrongdoing, SPLC tells appeals court
In the case of a Mississippi student disciplined for a rap video about inappropriate behavior by school coaches that was posted to YouTube, the Student Press Law Center (“SPLC”) is asking a federal appeals court to clarify that whistleblowing about school wrongdoing is constitutionally protected speech.
Missouri newspaper settles lawsuit with school district after six-month battle for public information
UPDATE 6/15: The Springfield News-Leader settled a suit with the Republic School District on Thursday, ending a dispute over information about another lawsuit, settled in November, involving a student and her family who claimed the middle school did not protect the girl from sexual harassment and rape during school hours.According to the News-Leader, documents reveal the district paid $185,000 -- $122,315 to the girl and her family, and the remaining money toward attorney fees.--------A southwest Missouri newspaper and the Republic School District are working to settle a public records lawsuit and reveal the details of a November settlement over student sexual abuse allegations, the newspaper’s attorney said Wednesday.The Springfield News-Leader filed a public records lawsuit June 4 for information regarding the district’s settlement with the student, particularly the amount the district paid and the minutes from any meeting where the settlement was discussed.The News-Leader’s suit argued the district is required to release the information under the Missouri Sunshine Law.“We believe that the applicable Sunshine Law statute requires disclosures of the information for obvious reasons – the taxpayers have a right to know how the school is conducting its business,” attorney Bryan Wade told The News-Leader.Wade confirmed the district had responded to the suit, and the two entities are negotiating an agreement.
SPLC urges federal appeals court to protect Nevada students’ right to protest school dress codes
The Student Press Law Center is urging a federal appeals court to protect students’ First Amendment rights to non-disruptively wear clothing that expresses disagreement with school uniform codes.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: “Corporatizing” university functions raises new public-disclosure obstacles for journalists
With shrinking subsidies from state legislatures and tuition maxed out to affordability and beyond, colleges understandably are looking at everything but selling the provost's plasma as a means of generating money.
Judge: U. of Cincinnati speech code likely unconstitutional
TheUniversity of Cincinnati likely violated students’ First Amendment rights whenit restricted members of the UC chapter of Young Americans for Liberty fromcirculating a petition across campus, the U.S.
UNLV newspaper reaches agreement to avoid student government selecting editor
Thestudent government at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas and the school’sstudent newspaper appeared to reach an agreement Monday, ending a dispute thatthreatened to have the paper’s editor appointed by student government.