SPLC urges Tennessee to protect student media from investigation

white logo saying SPLC and Student Press Law Center on a bright blue background

The Student Press Law Center has submitted formal comments to the Tennessee Department of Education urging it to amend draft regulations implementing the state’s new ban on so-called “prohibited concepts" to ensure that student journalists will not be penalized under the new law. The SPLC has called upon Commissioner of Education Dr. Penny Schwinn to… Continue reading SPLC urges Tennessee to protect student media from investigation

Former president of Haskell Indian Nations University fired after making unconstitutional directives to student editor and faculty

white logo saying SPLC and Student Press Law Center on a bright blue background

UPDATE: The former president of Haskell Indian Nations University Ronald Graham has been fired. An internal investigation commissioned by the Haskell National Board of Regents confirmed Graham’s actions violated the First Amendment, “stifling the free speech rights of students and faculty.” The regent’s vote to remove Graham follows a unanimous vote of ‘no confidence’ from… Continue reading Former president of Haskell Indian Nations University fired after making unconstitutional directives to student editor and faculty

Nebraska high school journalist refuses to back down, publishes her censored article on Confederate flags and racism at school in local paper

A student truck at North Platte High School, Nebraska displays the Confederate flag in the school parking lot. A student stole one of these flags, and another wrote a story about the incident. (George Lauby/The North Platte Bulletin)

NEBRASKA — In September, Jessica Mathieu, a senior at North Platte High School, in southwest Nebraska, stole a Confederate flag from another student’s pickup truck parked in the school parking lot. She posted a video on social media acknowledging that she had stolen the flag, saying, “I know what I did was wrong, but what you’re doing is worse. You’re making people at your school feel like they’re not welcome.”

SCOTUS agrees to hear B.L v. Mahanoy Area School District, calling student’s off-campus First Amendment rights into question

"Portico of the SCOTUS" by John Brighenti is licensed under CC BY 2.0

UPDATE: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a Pennsylvania public high school student who was punished by her school after she cursed her cheer team on Snapchat on a Saturday night while off campus. Legal experts and educators have watched the case, B.L. v. Mahanoy closely — the high court's… Continue reading SCOTUS agrees to hear B.L v. Mahanoy Area School District, calling student’s off-campus First Amendment rights into question

University settles lawsuit with satirical campus publication, affirming 1A protections for students

Cover of the most recent print issue of The Koala, published in 2016

UPDATE — The University of California San Diego settled a First Amendment lawsuit with a student-run satirical publication on Sept. 8, 2020, which legal experts say secured significant protections for student journalists against financial censorship. The lawsuit stemmed from a controversial November 2015 article from The Koala, a satirical newspaper on campus. The student government… Continue reading University settles lawsuit with satirical campus publication, affirming 1A protections for students