JICEA, School-Related Student Publications
JICEA, School-Related Student Publications
The Board encourages students to express their views in school-sponsored publications while observing rules for responsible journalism and complying with this policy and state and federal law. To protect the rights of all members of the school community and to support the district’s educational mission and purposes, students are prohibited from publishing expression which:
- Is false or obscene;
- Is libelous, slanderous or defamatory under state law;
- Presents a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts, violation of school rules, or material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school;
- Violates the privacy rights of others; or
- Threatens violence to property or persons.
Student editors of school-sponsored publications are responsible for determining the news, opinion and advertising content of their publications subject to the limitations of this policy, its accompanying regulation and applicable state and federal law. The publications advisor within each school shall be responsible for supervising the production of school-sponsored publications and for teaching and encouraging free and responsible expression and professional standards of journalism.
The publications advisor has authority to establish or limit writing assignments for students working with publications and to otherwise direct and control the learning experience that publications are intended to provide when participation in a school-sponsored publication is part of a school class or activity for which grades or school credits are given.
All school-sponsored student publications shall contain a disclaimer that expression made by students in the exercise of freedom of speech or freedom of the press is not an expression of Board, District or school policy. The school district and employees are provided immunity for civil or criminal penalties for any expression made or published by students.
The superintendent shall develop, for approval by the Board, a written official school publication code (JICEA-R), which shall include:
- A statement of the purposes of official school publications
- A list of prohibited materials
- Reasonable provisions for the time, place and manner of distributing school-sponsored student publications within the school district's jurisdiction
- Procedures for resolving differences
Teachers of yearbook, journalism or student yearbook classes shall distribute the publications code to their students at the beginning of each semester.
Adopted July 13, 1988
Revised September 7, 1988
Revised June 2, 1993
Revised November 4, 2020
Legal References
CRS 22-1-120 (free expression rights of students)
CRS 221-122(5)(e) (parental consent exception for supervised journalism student survey activities)
CRS 22-32-110(1)(r) (power to exclude immoral or pernicious materials)
Cross References
JICED, Student Expression of Rights
KDC/KDCA-R, Educational Cable Television Channel