Your Questions, Answered
Can high school students get together to protest school decisions on campus during school hours?
You’re passionate about an issue and you want to take a stance. So, you gather up a bunch of students and organize a protest—a sit-in, a walk-out, a picket line, etc. But does the school have the power to shut it down? Aren’t these protests protected by the First Amendment?
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Can a school enforce lockdown procedures to prevent a student protest?
At school this week, all the students planned to take part in the #walkout movement—walking out of class and standing in the halls in protest of gun violence in schools. Students at plenty of other schools walked out of their classrooms, but our school was put into lockdown mode to stop the demonstration. Can the school do that? Doesn’t that violate our free speech rights?
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Can I get in trouble for posting something mean about one of my teachers online?
A student at my school posted a mean comment about a math teacher on Facebook, saying “Ms. Smith is a f***ing bitch and is really a shitty teacher.” During school, ten other students “liked” the comment. The principal heard about the post and threatened to suspend the student who posted it and give anyone who “liked” it a detention. Can the school punish a student for venting on social media?
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Do I have to pay for the information I ask for in a FOIA request?
I’m on the student newspaper and I wanted to find out why my school made so many changes to our school lunch program recently. I submitted a FOIA request asking to see all of the principal’s email messages in the past year. The school told me it was going to charge me $5,000 to turn over the emails! I can’t afford that, so I can’t do the story. Is this right? Can the school charge me this much? Aren’t the emails public info?
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Is it unethical for a high school journalist to join a protest while they are covering it for a news story for their student newspaper or broadcast?
Yes, it is unethical.
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Can I take photos of inside a restaurant for a newspaper story about that restaurant?
You should be good to go as long as you do not violate any privacy laws or ethical journalistic practices.
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Can my coach punish me for using the word “fuck" in a Snapchat group chat with my teammates?
Public schools have the ability to regulate off-campus student speech, but only in certain situations.
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Can parents of students protest mask mandates on school property?
Students at my high school hire professionals to take their senior photos for the yearbook. If the school wants to use those photos for non-yearbook purposes, does the school need the photographer’s permission?
Students at my high school hire professionals to take their senior photos for the yearbook. If the school wants to use those photos for non-yearbook purposes, does the school need the photographer’s permission?
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I am the editor of my school’s yearbook. Can I get in trouble for having Senior Superlatives in the yearbook? Can my school stop me from doing this?
I am the editor of my school’s yearbook. Can I get in trouble for having Senior Superlatives in the yearbook? Can my school stop me from doing this?
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Can my school’s lacrosse coach stop me from taking photos of the team during practice to publish in the school yearbook?
Can my school’s lacrosse coach stop me from taking photos of the team during practice to publish in the school yearbook?
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Can my teacher require me to keep my camera and/or microphone on during a live online class?
Can my teacher require me to keep my camera and/or microphone on during a live online class?
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