SB 5946 - 2009-10
Protecting freedom of student press and speech
Will the third time be the charm?
For the third consecutive year, a scholastic press rights bill has been introduced in the Legislature
Thanks to Sen. Joe McDermott
(D-West Seattle), we'll once again have legislation introduced that
would support student press rights in Washington. You can follow the progress of the bill on the state government's Web site.
It's
terribly important that advisers, students, parents and administrators
understand this legislation. Simply put, it would clarify the sometimes
challenging relationship between student journalists, advisers and
administrators while protecting the rights of all parties involved. We
only need to look to the Puyallup, Snoqualmie and Everett school
districts to see how important this legislation is.
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History of this Legislation
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How can I help? This
bill clarifies the law with regard to rights and responsibilities of
student journalists, their advisers, and school administrators. If it would have passed, Washington would be following in the steps of eight other states that
have passed similar legislation. This bill was nearly identical
to HB 1307 which was introduced first in the House two years ago, where
it passed, only to die in the Senate. This year, the bill was
introduced in the Senate first, by Sen. Joe McDermott (34th Dist).
Please share this information with students, colleagues, and interested parents.
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