502.4R1 - Student Expression and Student Publications Code Regulation

A. Student Expression defined:  Student Expression is speech, action or other forms of expression which convey a student’s beliefs, views or opinions.

B. Official school district publications defined:  An official school district publication is material produced by students in journalism, newspaper, yearbook or writing classes and distributed to students either free or for a fee.

C. Limitations to Student Expression

  1. No student will express, publish or distribute publication material which is:
    1. obscene;
    2. libelous;
    3. slanderous; or
    4. encourages students to:
      1. ​​​​​​​i. commit unlawful acts;
      2. violate lawful school regulations;
      3. cause the material and substantial disruption of the orderly and efficient operation of the iv. school or school activity;
      4. disrupt or interfere with the education program;
      5. interrupt the maintenance of a disciplined atmosphere; or
      6. infringe on the rights of others.

D. Responsibilities of students for official school district publications.

  1. Students writing or editing official school district publications will assign and edit the news, editorial, and feature contents of the official school district publications subject to the limitations of the student publications code and the law.
  2. Students will strive to achieve professional standards of accuracy, fairness, objectivity, and thoroughness in each and every aspect of official school district publications.
  3. Students will strive to achieve professional standards of grammar, usage, punctuation and spelling for clarity and accuracy of official school district publications.

E. Responsibilities of faculty advisors for official school district publications.

Faculty advisors will supervise student writers to maintain professional standards of English and journalism and to comply with the law including, but not limited to, the restrictions against unlawful speech. Official school district publications are produced under the supervision of a faculty advisor.  Faculty advisors to students producing official school district publications shall supervise the production of the student staff in order to maintain professional standards of English journalism.  School district employees acting within the scope of their professional ethics will not suffer adverse employment action or retaliated against for acting to protect a student for engaging in authorized student expression or for refusing to infringe on protected student expression.

F. School district employee rights

Any school district employee or official, acting within the scope of that person’s professional ethics, if any, shall not be dismissed, suspended, disciplined, reassigned, transferred, subject to termination or nonrenewal of a teaching contract or extracurricular contract or otherwise retaliated against for acting to protect a student for engaging in expression protected by law or refusing to infringe upon student expression that is protected by law.

G. Liability

Student expression, including student expression in an official school district publication will not be deemed to be an expression of the school district.  The school district, the board, and the employees or officials are not liable in any civil or criminal action for any student expression made or published by students unless the employees or officials have interfered with or altered the content of the student expression.  The liability, if any, is only to the extent of interference or alteration of the speech or expression.

H. Appeal procedure

  1. Students who believe they have been unreasonably restricted in their exercise of expression in an official student publication will seek review of the decision through the student grievance procedure set out in applicable board policy.
  2. Persons who believe they have been aggrieved by a student-produced official student publication will file their complaint through the citizen grievance procedure set out in applicable  board policy.

I. Time, place, and manner of restrictions on student expression.

  1. Student expression may be conveyed and official student publications may be distributed in a reasonable manner on or off school district premises.
  2. Student expression and distribution of official school district publications in a reasonable manner will not encourage students to:
    1. ​​​​​​​commit unlawful acts;
    2. violate school rules;
    3. cause the material and substantial disruption of the orderly and efficient operation of the school district or school district activity;
    4. disrupt or interfere with the education program;
    5. interrupt the maintenance of a disciplined atmosphere; or
    6. infringe on the rights of others.

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