Can Public High School Administrators Censor What I Say in a School-Hosted Blog or Other School-Sponsored Publication?
Usually, but it depends on the facts. In Hazelwood Sch. Dist. v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988), the Supreme Court distinguished a school-sponsored newspaper from the armbands permitted in Tinker and allowed censorship that was “reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns.” This rule is referred to as the Hazelwood standard or the Hazelwood test. The Hazelwood standard applies to censorship of “school-sponsored publications, theatrical productions, and other expressive activities that students, parents, and members of the public might reasonably perceive to bear the imprimatur of the school.” “Imprimatur of the school” refers to activities that appear to be sponsored or endorsed by the school. The Hazelwood standard is less protective of your rights than the Tinker test. However, there is one bright spot: the Hazelwood standard does not apply to publications that have been opened as “public forums for student expression,” even if those publications are school-sponsored. (See
