School Newspapers Need Censorship

Free speech and free press under the constitution are vital components of the democratic process in America. As a general statement, the guarantee of freedom of expression applies the same to every citizen and includes people of any color, age, race, religion, or other distinguishing factors Private elementary, high schools, and colleges are exempt from violations of student rights because they are at liberty to set their own standards. Generally speaking, public elementary, high schools, and colleges are covered by the first amendment. Moreover, public school administrators have considerable latitude for making determinations about freedom of speech issues that affect the school, and the individual student’s right to expression. As a result, the rights of free speech and free press do not always apply to children when they are attending public schools. At public elementary and high schools, children are in a special category known as loco parentis. The definition of this Latin phrase means that the school is acting as a parent while children are attending school. School officials are allowed to make judgments that supersede the general rights of children as citizens, because they are acting in a parental role.

A position generally held by the courts is that it is the goal of the public school is to educate students and that a student’s personal rights to free speech or free press may interfere with that goal. Court cases over several decades over freedom of speech rights for students have set legal precedents and are being used to argue for and against student’s rights and and student rights violations (Constituial Topic:Student Rights.

Students in public colleges and universities consist mostly of students who have ...

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...ontributions to the newspaper for submission should be free of obscenity or personal attacks. Editors and advisors of the Feather have the right to deny any editorial, comment, or column (The Feather.

The newspaper guidelines for schools vary widely with the age and the demographics of the audience of the readers. The free exchange of ideas and knowledge is a part of learning. However, students who write for school newspapers must understand the ramifications and influence of the printed word. Freedom of speech is not synonymous with slander, personal insults, or inciting anger and violence through sensationalism. Academic freedom and the free flow of ideas are essential to education, but columns and editorials in school newspapers that inflame and hurt other students, or material that is inappropriate for the age of the readers needs further examination.