Tag: Fall 1997

Distributing fliers got a Montclair High School student quickly grounded by his principal.

The First Amendment applies only to laws made by the government and its agencies; private schools are not covered. Therefore the administrators of a private school have, with some important exceptions, significant leeway in punishing even off-campus speech. Unfortunately, a detailed discussion of the rights of private school students is beyond the scope of this article. Additional information is available in the SPLC packet, Press Freedom and Private Schools, available from the SPLC, or on our Web site.

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education and a student newspaper reporter are currently facing a $2.6 million libel suit filed by the family of a former student who claims a quote attributed to him was so damaging to his reputation he had to change schools.

Dan Vagasky, the 14-year-old editor of Ostego Middle School's student newspaper, the Bulldog Express, is trying to teach his school district a lesson in federal court.

School-Sponsored Speech* Takes place on campus* Financially supported by the school* Distributed on school grounds* Supervised by a faculty adviser or sponsor* The most regulated of all the categoriesNon-School-Sponsored Speech On Campus* Includes underground newspapers and other independently produced student works* Distributed on campus* Uses no school resources* School can only regulate how and when it is distributedNon-School-Sponsored Speech Off Campus* Includes underground newspa- pers, other independent student works and Web sites* Distribution is off school property* The least regulated of all three categories* The subject of this article

In two recent court rulings, a public high school teacher and a professor at a public university were determined to be public figures.

The state court of appeals has dismissed a student's challenge to her former high school's prior review policy on the grounds that she has no legal standing to bring the case.

A guide to avoiding trouble with your school.

Yale University's tabloid magazine Rumpus has become the target of a libel suit, because of a story it ran accusing a local landlord of being a "cokehead" and mismanaging property.

For a few days at least, Cynthia Hanifin seemed to have finally won the long-standing battle with her former high school principal.