New Business Item 40

At the annual Representative Assembly of the National Education Association July 5, members approved the following new business item:

New Business Item 40
That the NEA investigate and report in its publications the present status of student freedom of speech in light of the 1986 Hazelwood decision and State constitutions, and inform members of available resources such as the Student Press Law Center that can assist in protecting students' free speech rights.

This is fantastic. Journalism educators and First Amendment advocates have become hoarse after spending so much effort to get the attention for the decline in freedoms for students, and this Supreme Court decision is one main reason. One error in the passage above: Hazelwood was decided in 1988. I hope that is just a typo and not an indication of how NEA will handle research on this matter.

The case deals with administrative censorship of a school newspaper and basically gave school officials the authority to regulate content of school media if they could demonstrate a legitimate pedagogical concern and if the media was school-sponsored (published as part of a class, for example). The effect has been widespread conflict at many schools. Administrators wrongly believe they can control all content -- even content that is protected opinion. Schools tighten a budget and eliminate training for journalism teachers or the program as a class, resulting in students who don't know their rights and who are more likely to be irresponsible.

The reality is that when students are advised and taught by a well-trained and educated professional, they know their rights and have a better educational experience than if those rights are restricted or trampled on by zealous administrators who are more concerned with avoiding ruffled feathers than with whether students learn and grow.

More of our fellow Association members need to be aware of the laws and rights, so the journalism professional is not left alone to defend this position singularly. While sometimes the journalism teacher has a solid foundation in this area, more often he or she is just as ignorant as the students. Thanks, NEA, for taking leadership in this area. Thanks members for working hard for passage.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.