Your Questions, Answered
Can my school ban my "Hands Off My Vagina" abortion rights t-shirt?
Can my school stop me from wearing a t-shirt that says “Hands Off My Vagina” on the front and “Advocate for Abortion Rights” on the back without violating my First Amendment rights?
Do dress codes generally violate the First Amendment?
Does my high school’s dress code violate my First Amendment Rights to free speech because it limits the expressive clothing I can wear?
Can I recreate a famous photo if I change the medium?
Can student artists create and sell portraits of famous figures in paintings, charcoal drawings, and sketches, based on photographs taken by a separate artist without violating the photographer’s copyright?
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Can I get in trouble for embedding a social media post in an article on my school newspaper's website?
Does a student journalist’s decision to include a social media post in an article published on the school newspaper’s website constitute copyright infringement?
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Can I participate in a TikTok dance trend without infringing on someone's copyright?
Can a high school student be liable for copyright infringement when the student participates in a dance trend on TikTok and the original Tiktok video includes a dance trend hashtag?
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Can I record an interview with my principal, without asking him, if I put the recorder in plain sight, or does it depend on what state I am in?
Can I record an interview with my principal, without asking him, if I put the recorder in plain sight, or does it depend on what state I am in?
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If a student journalist receives consent from students to publish their medical or private information, can privacy laws like HIPAA or FERPA prevent the student journalist from publishing that information?
Generally, no. Consent is key!
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Can the school search our lockers and backpacks to look for drugs? Can they search our lockers and backpacks for no reason?
Students have a privacy right in their personal belongings, such as backpacks, and school officials must have “reasonable suspicion” before searching a student’s items. But lockers are owned by the school, so the school can search those without having “reasonable suspicion.”
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Can the school censor student journalists and stop them from broadcasting bad game scores?
No, if a school administrator censors the scores of high school sports on school-sponsored television broadcasts, it is likely a violation of student First Amendment press rights
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Can our school punish students for what we post on our social media?
It depends.
Can my school censor school newspaper advertisements based on the school’s Code of Conduct?
The school likely cannot prohibit the newspaper from publishing advertisements for alcohol and lottery tickets.
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Can school administrators take my phone and go through my personal information on my phone?
No, school administrators do not have the right to search a student’s phone if a student is caught using their phone during class, even if that student protests its taking.
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