3035 -STUDENT PUBLICATIONS AND PRODUCTIONS
The Board of Education strongly advocates the publication of student newspapers, yearbooks and literary magazines. School-sponsored publications such as newspapers, yearbooks and literary magazines are an important part of the school curriculum. School publications also provide an appropriate forum for students to learn and practice effective self-expression, reflecting the diversity in the school community. To provide an effective forum, collaboration among students, faculty, and administrators is essential.
a) Student reporters and editors shall be responsible for determining the news, opinion, and advertisements in student publications subject to the limitations of responsible journalism and advertisement, and as provided in Sections 3035.1 (b) and (c) of this policy.
b) Student publications shall not contain written matter which: (1) is vulgar, indecent or obscene; (2) contains libelous statements, personal attacks or abusive language such as language defaming a person's character, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender, family status, or disability; (3) causes or clearly threatens to cause a material and substantial disruption of normal classroom activity, any normal school function, or other school activity; (4) encourages the commission of unlawful acts or the violation of lawful school regulations; or (5) advertises any product or service not permitted to minors by law.
c) Student staff of school-sponsored publications shall solicit and accept advertisement utilizing the principles and best practices of advertising. The staff shall not include in student publications advertisement that includes prohibited speech as specified in Section 3035.1(b).
d) Editorials and advertisements shall carry disclaimers that the opinion is not the position of the school or the school system, or that the advertisement does not represent an endorsement by the publication's staff, the school, or the school system.
e) School-sponsored publications shall have faculty supervision. The faculty advisor shall assist students in practicing responsible journalism. Faculty advisors are encouraged to teach professional standards of English usage and journalism to the student staff. Also, faculty advisors should teach the principles and practices of responsible advertisement to the student staff. A faculty advisor or the principal may prohibit distribution of any material that fails to meet journalistic standards or that does not maintain the provisions of Sections 3035.1(b) and (c) of this policy.
3035.2 Non School-Sponsored Publications
Students wishing to distribute on campus any publication, leaflet, or other written material which is not school sponsored must submit the material to the principal for review. The principal may prohibit distribution if the material contains speech that is prohibited as specified in Section 3035.1(b). The principal must decide whether or not to allow the publication to be distributed within five school days of its submission for review. The material must be distributed at reasonable times and places as designated by the principal.
3035.3 School-Sponsored Student Productions
School-sponsored student productions can provide an appropriate forum for students to learn and practice effective self-expression. School-sponsored student productions shall have faculty supervision. The faculty sponsor or school principal may restrict the presentation of any production, in whole or in part, that includes prohibited speech as specified in Section 3035.1(b), provided that such restriction occurs no later than 30 days before the scheduled date of production.
3035.4 Appeals
a) Students may appeal a faculty advisor's or principal's decision to restrict distribution of publication or to restrict production. The appeal must be written and presented to the principal within five school days of the decision to restrict distribution. If the appeal is a response to a faculty advisor's decision, a copy of the written appeal should be provided to the advisor. The principal shall render a written decision within five school days after receiving the appeal.
b) If a student is dissatisfied with the decision of the principal, the student may appeal the decision to the Superintendent in writing within seven school days after receiving the principal's decision. The Superintendent or designee shall respond to the appeal within seven school days after receiving the appeal.
c) If the student is dissatisfied with the decision of the Superintendent, the student may appeal to the Board of Education by notifying the Superintendent in writing that he/she wishes to appeal the Superintendent' s decision. The notification must be made within seven school days after receiving the Superintendent's decision. If the Board of Education does not issue a decision within ten school days after receipt of the appeal, the publication may be distributed. If the Board later decides that the publication is inappropriate, the distribution may be halted.
d) At every level of the appeal process, the student or representative shall have the right to appeal and present the student's case, supported by relevant witnesses and materials, as to why distribution of the publication is appropriate.
3035.5 Definitions
The following terms used in this policy shall be defined as follows: a) Obscene -- Any speech or work which the average person, applying contemporary community standards (as opposed to "national" standards) would find, taken as a whole, appeals to prurient interest, or which depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law, and which, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.
b) Libelous statement -- False and unprivileged statements about a specific individual which injure that person's reputation in the community.
c) Substantial disruption -- Any conduct by a student, in class or out, which for any reason including inappropriateness of time, place or type of behavior, significantly interferes with school functions, classroom instruction, or with the rights of other students. Examples of substantially disruptive conduct include, but are not limited to, demonstrations, destruction of property, injury to person, shouting or boisterous conduct, related activities, and anything that significantly distracts other students from instruction.
Adopted Effective: April 21, 1993
Revised Effective: July 1, 1999
