Landmark Supreme Court Case · Student speech and press
Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
- Decided
- 1988
- Vote
- 5–3
- Opinion
- Justice Byron White
- Constitutional provisions
Facts of the case
Students in a journalism class at Hazelwood East High School in Missouri produced a school-sponsored newspaper, the Spectrum. The principal removed two pages containing articles about student pregnancy and the effects of divorce on students. He was concerned about student privacy and about content inappropriate for younger students. Student staff members, including Cathy Kuhlmeier, sued.
The constitutional question
Does the First Amendment prevent school officials from censoring a school-sponsored student newspaper?
The decision
No. Educators may exercise editorial control over the style and content of student speech in school-sponsored activities, such as a newspaper produced as part of a class, as long as their actions are "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns."
The Court's reasoning
The newspaper was part of the curriculum, not a public forum. The school could make sure that its own sponsored publications met educational standards.
Why it matters
It gave schools more authority over school-sponsored expression and distinguished it from personal student expression, which is still protected under Tinker. Some states have since passed laws giving student journalists more protection.