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P6145.3
ST. LOUIS BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY
The Board of Education recognizes creative student expression as an educational benefit of the school experience. One medium of expression is student journalism. The board encourages the development of annual yearbooks and school newspapers. Freedom of speech and of expression in student publications as guaranteed by the First Amendment is to be observed by the administration, faculty, and pupils. But freedom does not mean unbridled license. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the staff to define the limits of freedom of expression in order to protect the state’s compelling interest in maintaining a school atmosphere conducive to an orderly program of learning. Freedom of expression in the schools shall be interpreted as including, but not being contrary to: 1. The development of student responsibility in distinguishing between freedom and license. 2. The consideration by the faculty of the maturity levels of students and of appropriate standards of journalistic taste. 3. The care for the development of skills of written expression.
References cf Policy P6144, Controversial Issues, Student Freedom of Expression
Revised: December 07, 1999 R6145.3 ST. LOUIS BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULATION
Extra-Curricular Activities -- Publications The following school-sponsored student publications at the secondary level are authorized by the board. 1. Yearbook - A yearbook may be published under the direction of a faculty sponsor. Its purpose will be to provide a history of pertinent information and school events for the school year. The yearbook will be available to students at a cost to be determined by the school administration. 2. School newspaper - A school newspaper may be published under the direction of a faculty sponsor. Its purposes are to promote communication among classes and allow students the opportunity to illustrate their creativity and writing skills. The paper will be distributed for a nominal charge. To carry out the board's policy regarding student publications, the following regulations apply. 1. The principal of each school that sponsors a student publication shall provide for the selection and operation of a faculty-student publications committee. 2. Faculty monitoring of student publications shall be advisory only. Disagreements may be submitted by either party to the faculty-student publications committee.
a. style guides b. guides to questions of taste and appropriateness c. guides to cost limits d. routes of appeal e. statements of board policy and purposes for student publications f. constitutional safeguards to freedom of expression g. provisions for review of articles by the board's legal staff. The following regulations apply with respect to advertising in student publications. YEARBOOKS 1. Students may solicit advertising without regard to school boundaries, the size of the prospective advertiser's business or organization, or the nature of the prospective advertiser's business. Students may not solicit from businesses engaged in illegal or unlawful activities. The board reserves the right to regulate and limit the content of advertisements to fit the needs of the school environment. 2. The principal shall judge the appropriateness of the advertisements.
a. Advertisements that promote alcoholic beverages or tobacco products will not be published, but contributory notes in the form of "Compliments of...” can be included. b. Advertisements that promote products or services describing or relating to sexually-oriented conduct or bodily functions will not be published. c. Advertisements that promote obscene films, plays, TV programs, literature, or other materials will not be published. For the purpose of this regulation, an advertisement is obscene if (1) the average person applying contemporary community standards would find that the advertisement, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors of the age to whom distribution is requested, (2) the advertisement depicts or describes hard core sexual conduct in a manner that is offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community concerning how such conduct should be presented to minors of the age to whom distribution is requested; and (3) the advertisement, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors of the age to whom distribution is requested. The school principal is the best person to apply contemporary community standards and determine whether the advertisement is obscene. d. Since the available space for advertisements limits the equal promotional opportunities for all of those with opposing views, advertisements that promote organizations, political organizations, political candidates, or political views will not be published. Contributory notes in the form of "Compliments of.....” can be included.
f. Advertisements that promote religious groups, religious interests, or religious activities will not be published. Contributory notes in the form of "Compliments of...” can be included. 4. Advertising rates shall be standardized for yearbooks. The rates will be reviewed and standardized on an annual basis by the Public Affairs Division. 5. The number of pages of advertising shall not exceed twenty (20) percent of the total pages per yearbook. 6. Implementation of these regulations shall be accomplished pursuant to the following additional regulations. a. The high school principal shall designate a person to correlate business and advertising operations for the yearbooks. b. In addition to the present responsibilities, the yearbook sponsor shall work with designated personnel in supervising and coordinating activities of students selling advertising. c. The school’s book clerk treasurer, with the approval of the principal, shall establish a separate account for the yearbook to receive money from advertising sales in the local school community.
d. The office of public affairs will assist the school advisers as requested. All guidelines established for the yearbook shall govern newspaper publication with the appropriate name/title substitution except as follows: Rates: Establishment of rates should reflect the newspaper structure. (Example: Size of paper and number of editions per school year.) References cf: Policy P6144 and Regulation R6144 Student Freedom of Expression
Revised: December 07, 1999 |
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