The debate over whether school administration should have the power to censor content in the school newspaper is a complex and always current issue. This debate is most intense and heated for the students who write for the school newspaper. Why is there so much attention drawn to this debate? An answer can be found by looking at the famous Hazelwood case.

     In 1983 staff members for the Hazelwood High School newspaper, the Spectrum, wrote a series of stories about teen pregnancy and the effects divorce had on students. The principal of the school decided to censor two pages of the stories because he felt the stories invaded the privacy of the students involved and that some content was inappropriate.  The students sued the school district over the principal’s actions.

    On January 13th, 1988 the Supreme Court made the decision that in spite of previous rulings, the principal of Hazelwood High School was not guilty of violating the students’ right to freedom of speech. The decision basically interprets administration as publisher and as such, has the right to pull a story. This landmark case and Supreme Court decision began the debate of whether school administration should have the right to censor what students write in the school newspaper. This Supreme Court decision is still debated today issue and there are arguments for both sides of the issue.