Purposes of Official School Publications
Any student publication whether curricular or co-curricular in nature will be viewed as an open forum for public expression. As such, no article may be censored solely on the basis of potential controversy or sensitivity of its content. While educators must encourage accurate, responsible journalism, such responsibility cannot be employed as a guise to censor student expression.
Responsibility of Official School Publications Advisors and Student Editors
- Each year the student staff of each school-sponsored student publication assisted by the advisor and administration will devise an editorial policy consistent with the accompanying policy and this publications code to guide its operation.
- Students who work on official school-sponsored student publications will determine and be responsible for the content of the publications.
- School publications advisors will be responsible for:
- Supervision of the production of school-sponsored publications.
- Teaching and encouraging free and responsible expression.
- Teaching and encouraging professional standards of journalism.
- Material which is "obscene" to minors. Obscene is usually defined as material with lewd sexual connotations or overtones. Obscene material as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.
- Material which is libelous. Libelous statements are probably false and unprivileged statements that cause injury to an individual's or business's reputation in the community. If the libeled party is a "public figure" or "public official" then the libeled party must show false statements were published "with actual malice." Malice is defined as the publication of information known to be false or the publication of material with reckless disregard for the truth due to failure to verify the truthfulness of the information.
- Expression which creates a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts, violation of lawful school regulations, or material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school; or expression which threatens violence or the property or persons is prohibited.
- Material which violates an individual's right to privacy.