V-17: Student Publications

North Sanpete School District
Statement of .............   

Board Policy with Guidelines

Policy Number: V-17
Effective Date: 12/16/1982
Revised Date:

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Subject: Student Publications

BOARD POLICY

A school newspaper is designed to serve as a vehicle for instruction and is, in addition, a means of communication. It is operated, substantially financed, and controlled by the student body and the Board.

A school newspaper can best function when it provides a full opportunity for students to inquire, question, and exchange ideas. Articles should reflect all areas of student interest, including topics about which there may be dissent and controversy. It is the intent of the Board that students be provided with avenues for the research of ideas and causes of interest to them, and be allowed to express their opinions. Controversial subjects should be presented in depth with a variety of viewpoints published.

GUIDELINES

1. Purposes of Official Student Newspaper:
2. To exist as an instructional device for the teaching of writing and other journalistic skills.
3. To provide a forum for opinions of students, school staff, and members of the community.
4. To serve the entire school by reporting school activities.
5. Rights of Student Journalists:
6. To print factual articles dealing with topics of interest to the student writers.
7. To print, on the editorial page, opinions on any topic, whether school related or not, which students feel are of interest to themselves or to the readers.
8. Responsibilities of Student Journalists:
9. To submit copy that conforms to good journalistic writing style.
10. To rewrite stories, as required by the journalistic advisor, to improve journalistic structure, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
11. To check facts and verify quotes.
12. In the case of editorials on controversial issues, to provide space for rebuttals, in the same issue if possible, but otherwise no later than the following issue.
13. Subject to the specific limitations in these. guidelines, determine the contents of official student newspapers.
14. Material Not Permitted in Official School Newspapers:
15. Material which is libelous or which violates the rights of privacy.
16. Material which is obscene, according to current standards of our community.
17. Profanity, hereby defined as that language which would not be used in the local newspapers.
18. Material which advocates the breaking of any law.
19. Material which criticizes or demeans any race, religion, sex, or ethnic group.
20. Ads for cigarettes, liquor, or any other product not permitted teenagers.
21. Any material, the publication of which would cause substantial disruption of the school. Substantial disruption is hereby defined as the threat of physical violence in the school or nearby community and/or the disruption of the school's educational program.
22. Endorsements of political candidates or ballot measures, whether such endorsements are made via editorial, article, letter, photograph, or cartoon. The newspaper may, however, publish "fact sheet" types of articles on candidates and ballot measures, provided such articles do not endorse any person or position, and provided equal space is provided for all candidates for a particular office and for both sides of a ballot measure.
23. Determination of Appropriateness:
24. The newspaper advisor shall have the primary responsibility of reviewing each article prior to its publication to determine if it satisfies all the conditions of these guidelines. The school principal or his designated representative other than the newspaper advisor may also review copy prior to its publication, if he so requests; however, such copy must be returned to the student editors within 24 hours after it is submitted for review.