News+and+Opinion

 = **Welcome to the NEWS AND OPINION section of Student Press Rights!** =


 //**Part 1**//

[|Proposal suggests cutting print version of student newspaper] In Texas, a school has proposed a plan of limiting the amount of paper used for the student newspaper in an effort to go green.

This news story is of great importance to students. School administration should realize that students need a voice, and by limiting their ability to write for the school's newspaper is really limiting student's voices and is going against the 1st amendment, despite the efforts to go green. If the school feels so strong about going green, they should set up a web page for the school newspaper and limit the amount of paper available in the day to day classrooms.  JMU behavior code governs off-campus expression Recent changes to JMU's behavior code includes language that claims control over student expression, regardless of proximity to campus. The school's newspaper staff fears the new language, inserted into the document in June, could give the administration too much power in stopping student free expression.

This news story is of great importance to students because JMU is a college amung students at HCRHS. The limiting of language by in the school administration is an outrage because the school is a public school and there should be no restrictions. I am curious to know if students will take into accordance this limit before applying to the school.

Pa. student journalists arrested while covering G-20 protests Student journalists for the University of Pittsburgh's Pitt News were arrested September 25th while reporting on protests of the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. While covering the Friday evening protests, in which more than 100 people were arrested, the journalists were tear gassed, maced, and even pepper sprayed by police, only to be arrested there after.

This article is very important to students. The arrest of the journalists covering this protest was a violation of the First Amendment. The police who arrested the student journalists were "targeting journalists... In this case, [arresting journalists] seemed to be an objective." said Chris Hoel, attorney who frequently represents the Pitt News and it's staff. No student journalist or journalist in general should let this violation go by without action.

[|Wash. student newspaper editors punished after clash with adviser] Student staff members for the school newspaper are facing punishment after fighting with their advisor over what was going to appear in the upcoming newspaper.

This article is also very important to students. Although many student journalists believe that their articles should be published into a school newspaper without the monitoring of what they have written, but by law, schools have the right to allow or deny the publish of a news story to a school newspaper. Even though students have the right to freedom of expression and press, students are limited as to what can be posted in a school newspaper.

[|Court says sexual harassment policy blocks students' First Amendment rights] A new sexual harassment policy is interfering and limiting student's press rights and is to be discussed in court as to if the policy is overly broad in blocking students' First Amendment Rights.

This article is of great importance to students because students must realize that school policies can only limit a student's freedom of speech so much (without violating the 1st Amendment). As said in the article, a policy that "prohibits speech on campus that could create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment..." is a policy that will fall because students need their freedom of speech. But a speech or Newspaper publication that causes a disruption or instigates a hostile or offensive working environment can increase the "broadness" of a policy and decrease student press rights to prevent articles like such from being published again. Depending upon what student's write in the newspaper can limit a student's press rights in the future (note: schools have money and great lawyers and attorneys, but students...).

//**Part 2**//

One in Five Americans think that the First amendments guarantees too much freedom

In this article it talks about the survey that was released saying that 19% out of 100% of people think that the first amendment goes to far in its protection for peoples rights. This does effect students because if they decided to change the first amendments it could effect students

//**Part 3**//

[|Opinion considered extreme]. Justice Thomas' opinion on past cases, and the First Amendment.

[|Future of the First Amendment] Depending on your location in the US, there are different views of the First Amendment.

[|This website] is very helpful for student journalists who need to find out about some of the landmark cases concerning student press rights. The cite lists the names of the cases, and you can click on them to find a brief summary of that particular case. It also, tells you what parts of the constitution the cases deal with it. It lists the different statutes that are dealt with in the student press rights cases.

[|This website] goes over what happened in a case that two students got punished for something that they posted outside of school on site.

[|This website]goes over what happens in the Bethel school district NO. 403 v. Frasier, what the first amendment issue was, and the final case outcome.

[|This website] goes over the mahaffey v. aldrich case and what previous cases were used to help make the final decision.

[|This website] goes over Rosenberger V. Rector and Visitors of the University of West Virginia. It also, goes over the decision, majority opinion, and its significance.

//**Part** **4**//

[|Tinker vs. Des Moines]

-3 kids wore black bands around arms to protest war in Vietnam

-Students were punished for wearing the armbands by school officials

-Families of the students sued, saying freedom of speech and expression was violated

-Armbands were a peaceful protest

-Courts ruled against the students, but the Tinker standard was created

-Tinker standard- No disruption, no problem [|Morse vs. Frederick]

-Student held up a sign that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" across from school

-Student was at an event that was NOT school related

-Principal suspended the student for 10 days for violating the school's drug policy

-Courts first ruled in favor of the teacher, but then appealed saying the student met the Tinker standard and did not cause a disruption

-The student was punished for his behavior, he did not cause a disruption

[|Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlmeier]

-Student written and edited newspaper had two pages censored by school Principal

-Students who wrote the articles sued, saying their first amendment rights were violated

-Articles were about students' experiences with pregnancy and divorce

-Principal felt topics were inappropriate for school environment

-Courts ruled that the students' rights were not violated, sided with the principal

[|Goss vs. Lopez]

-1971, disturbance in school lunchroom

-Number of students involved, not clear who started disturbance or contributed

-School property was damaged

-Dwight Lopez was suspended for 10 days for being a part of the disturbance and damaging property was never given the chance to explain his side of the story

-Claimed his 14th amendment was violated (due process of the law)

-Court ruled that students DO have the right to due process of the law

-"The Court handed down its decision January of 1975 that students facing suspension " must be given some kind of notice and afforded some kind of hearing" before being deprived of their education (47, Reutter)".

[|Doninger v. Niehoff]

-2007, student concert was canceled

-Angered student posted inappropriate comments on her personal blog about school officials and urged peers and parents to complain about officials' decision

-Avery Doninger's family filed suit against the school after she was banned from running for re-election for class secretary

-Avery argued she was not in any violation because she did not cause a disturbance, she said her first amendment was violated

-Court ruled in favor of the school saying they have the right to monitor student's speech outside of school, when it inteferes with school policies and the school in general

-Court also said school had the right to prevent Avery from running for office because her posts interfered with school goals

[|Bethel School District vs. Fraser]

-Matthew Fraser delivered a speech for the nomination of one of his classmates for a position on the student council

-Speech contained profane and inappropriate language

-Although the sexual innuendos were discrete, administration punished the student

-Fraser was suspended for two days on the grounds that he "interfered with the educational process", therefore causing a disruption which rules out the Tinker Standard

-Fraser sued the school saying he was being denied his right to free speech

-Courts ruled in favor of Bethel School District, saying the school had the right to punish Fraser for his vulgar language because it disrupted the educational process

//**Part** **5**//

Article One: [] Description: This article is about the First Amendment and the public's opinion that Americans are guaranteed too many press rights. It also continues to talk about the percentage of Americans who believe the First Amendment is too broad and we are guaranteed too many rights in one Amendment.

Article Two: [] Description: This article is about student journalists for the Pittsburgh News, who were arrested for covering a story on the G-20 Summit riot that broke out last Friday. Students were sprayed with tear gas and arrested. There are some indications that the students were "targeted journalists"

Article Three: [] Description: Student journalist from Cumberland Valley High School printed an article endorsing Obama's presidency which made the school break out in a discrepancy. The newspaper had not been handed out yet, but the paper was gone the following day. The paper was stolen or thrown out by other students in the school. 