Week 1: Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

We asked today if there has ever been a court case about freedom of speech and school newspapers, and there has. In Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)  student journalists were not allowed by the school to write a story about a teen mom who felt her relationship with her father was a factor in her teen pregnancy. It went to the district courts where they ruled in favor of the school district. The students appealed to the US court of appels where they ruled in the students favor - saying their rights were violated. Finally the school appealed to SCOTUS, where they ruled in the favor of the school. Their ruling was that the paper is sponsored by the school, and therefore the school has legitimate reason to limit publication to what is deemed appropriate. Also that the paper is not an unlimited forum for students to express their opinions

One of the things the kids in the video were looking for was a safe place to discuss controversial topics, a place where they could express their opinion and hear the opinions of others. While I don't believe that the newspaper is the place for that, as the court has already ruled, i do believe that a school should have an outlet. One option I have come across holding a class, the same way as any history or math class, but instead of those subjects, the class is an open forum in which students can express themselves, ask questions, and hear other points of view. The key point of this is that parental permission is required.