Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

1. Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier The Supreme Court Decision on School Censorship

2. Case Background • The newspaper at Hazelwood School district was written by students for the students. • Principal Robert Reynolds received a draft of the May 1983 issue and found two articles inappropriate. • One article consisted of a girl in the schools hardships through her parents divorce. • The other article was composed of stories of teen pregnancy in Hazelwood High. • Cathy Kuhlmeier and two former students sued for their rights to freedom of press in 1988.

3. Hazelwood School District • Public schools are responsible for the safety and protection of their students by banning the articles they are ensuring the students education is not disrupted. • School authorities warrant control over the schools classes and what was taught in journalism. • School newspapers are a limited public forum. • Activities in the school are a representation on the administration. Articles addressing problems in the problems of the district harm the schools reputation.

4. Kuhlmeier • There is no evidence that the articles would directly disrupt the learning environment. • The articles although controversial were done in a tasteful manner and students names were hidden. • Only non-content based articles could be purged from the paper by the administration. • The school had waived responsibility for the paper prior to the controversial articles.

5. Supreme Court Decision • The Supreme Court in 5-3 decision decided in favor of Hazelwood School District. • They reasoned that the newspaper was under control of the school and held the schools name. • The court stated that student speech was limited as long as the school had "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns." • This ruling gave school districts the right to suppress the first amendment rights of students with just cause.