Tag: Spring 2009

The First Amendment grants Americans the right to freedom of speech and freedom of press, but the exact boundaries of those rights are determined by the courts.

Writing about sex and sexual health issues can be precarious for high school students.

During the year marking the 40th anniversary of the landmark Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District decision that gave high school students the right to free speech inside the schoolhouse gates, controversy surrounding another historic event ' the election of President Barack Obama ' put Tinker's promise of free speech under strain.

Censorship of student speech goes often beyond the pages of student publications. District and federal courts nationwide have heard cases involving students who claimed their right to free expression was violated by high school administrators banning politically charged T-shirts, armbands, buttons and other paraphernalia bearing messages.

Answering students' most-asked questions.

When the box finally arrived, Falcon editors knew it was more than the server they needed to get their Web site back online. It was a victory.

Parents and educators trying to crack down on "cyberbullying" tell painful stories about students harassing their classmates with text messages and posting hurtful rumors online ' but as many students are finding out, laws and policies against cyberbullying could open new routes to attack substantive student speech.

As mainstream student media across the country fight censorship battleswith their school administrations, alternative publications are popping up insteady numbers in response to their own disfavored symbols of authority 'official student newspapers.

Late last year, Gerian Steven Moore was terminated from his position as adviser to Chicago State University's student newspaper, following what he describes as administrative retaliation for his unwillingness to censor the paper's content.

On Dec. 1 of last year, the University of Washington's Daily doubled the usual size of its Monday edition, but none of the extra column inches included staff-member bylines. Instead, seven full pages were dedicated to reader letters in response to a column printed the prior week.