Tag: Spring 1998

A high school student has appealed a state circuit court's ruling that he "stepped over the bounds of constitutional protection" by "advocating direct and disruptive action against the school" when he distributed an underground newspaper.

A state court ruled in March that a public school principal is a "public official," squarely addressing the status of principals for purposes of libel law.

The administration at the University of North Alabama is trying to be the first to use the November Kentucky State ruling.However, the plan has backfired, at least for now, according to Flor-Ala editor Tyler Greer.

Administrators at three universities around the country have pulled back the curtain of secrecy that protects students accused of crimes on their campuses. For different reasons, the school officials have said, in effect, "Let the sunshine in," in their efforts to increase openness and public awareness of campus crime.

From the schoolhouse to the statehouse, the debate continues over how much freedom legislators will grant to the student press. In March, state senators held a hearing on a bill that aims to trim the rights restored to the student press in 1992 after the Supreme Court granted discretionary power to school administrators with its 1988 Hazelwood ruling.

The Kentucky State censorship case represents the first time a federal court has used the U.S. Supreme Court1s 1988 Hazelwood decision to justify censorship of college student publications. But it also represents another first: an outpouring of support for college press freedom from journalism schools and college journalism professors.

The University of Pennsylvania was in compliance with federal laws when it defined its campus boundaries for purposes of reporting crime, the U.S. Department of Education concluded in February.

The inspiration for Senate bill no. 669 limiting the student press may have come from sour local politics. According to Gene Anderson, the attorney for one student who testified against the bill, the legislation has its roots in Great Bend's school board.

With only eight issues left in the fall semester, board members of the student newspaper at the University of Kansas fired its editor in November, claiming he was responsible for a series of decisions that offended readers and tarnished the Kansan's reputation.

The Appellate Court of Illinois has ruled that the Athletic Council of Illinois State University, an advisory body to the president and athletic director on athletic issues, is responsible for adhering to the state open meetings and open records acts.