In T.V. v. Smith-Green Community School District, a pair of students are suing their school after the school removed them from extracurricular activities because the students posted pictures of themselves with penis-shaped lollipops at a slumber party.In a supplemental brief filed with the federal district court on June 10, the school makes arguments totally irreconcilable with precedent or common sense.
Tag: Off-campus Student Internet Speech
Layshock, J.S. and MySpace justice – Third Circuit takes a half-step toward clarifying school authority over online speech
Young people's near-universal ability to publish online -- anytime, anywhere -- has provoked a flurry of legislative responses and judicial pronouncements, many of them blurring the boundaries that once confined schools' disciplinary authority within the proverbial "schoolhouse gate."Those blurry boundaries are in somewhat clearer focus today as a result of a pair of rulings by the 3rd U.S.
Free the press — all of it — starting this World Press Freedom Day
In a recent speech to students at George Washington University, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed the power of online media to bring about positive social change.
Kansas student wins due process case; still sentenced to go through life as “Facebook placenta girl”
It is now recognized as illegal in the state of Kansas to summarily expel a college student just for posting a photo of herself on Facebook next to a placenta.
The 24/7 school day: Webcam lawsuit alleges new level of “creepiness”
From the '“OMG — If This Is True…' Department" come stories from the Associated Press and the Philaelphia Inquirer today that the parents of a student attending school just outside Philadelphia have filed a lawsuit on their son’s behalf alleging that school officials used Webcams installed on school-supplied laptop computers to spy on students while at home.The suit, filed in the U.S.
Wesley Chapel High School’s First Amendment values = Fail
Tampa-area Wesley Chapel High School declined last year from a "C" to a "D" in Florida's school performance ratings.
Beverly Hills (Speech) Cop II: Surprise, You’re Suspended!
In a previous post, we looked at how a California student successfully argued that the First Amendment protected her against school discipline for insulting a classmate in a video she posted on YouTube.
Beverly Hills (Speech) Cop I: Court slams schoolhouse gate on school discipline of YouTube posting
There are days when being in the business of defending the First Amendment rights of journalists is more rewarding than others.
Important questions need to be answered about Sotomayor’s position on student speech rights
When Judge Sonia Sotomayor takes her seat for her confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, she will have the opportunity to set right a terrible mistake that threatens to undermine the safety of student journalists.Last year, Judge Sotomayor signed her name to an ill-considered ruling that significantly expanded high schools’ authority to punish students’ speech – even off-campus speech on personal time.