Censorship of Student Internet Speech

The Effect of Diminishing Student Rights, Fear of the Internet and Columbine

By David Hudson
First Amendment Center

This paper was prepared for and delivered at the inaugural Telecommunication Policy and Law Symposium in Washington, D.C., on April 18, 2000, sponsored by the Quello Center for Telecommunication & Law, and published in the Law Review of the Detroit College of Law, Michigan State University. Reprinted with permission.

Introduction

I: The Decline of Student Rights
  1. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
  2. Chipping Away at Tinker
  3. Off-Campus Student Conduct
II: Fear of the Internet and Effects of Columbine
  1. Cyberphobia and Censorship
  2. Responses to Columbine
III: Off-Campus Internet Speech Cases
  1. O'Brien v. Westlake City Schools Board of Education
  2. Beussink v. Woodland R-IV School District
  3. Emmett v. Kent School District No. 415
  4. Beidler v. North Thurston School District No. 3
  5. J.S. v. Bethlehem Area School District

IV: Factors School Administrators Should Consider in Regulating Student Internet Speech

Conclusion