Sunday, Jan. 13, marks the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous Hazelwood decision, and The Paly Voice would like to take this opportunity to speak out against what we view as a violation of First Amendment rights.

The Hazelwood decision was the result of 1988 Supreme Court case Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, where the court ruled 5-3 that the administration of Hazelwood East High School had the right to censor objectionable stories. This sent a message to all other school programs that the First Amendment does not necessarily apply to students and that directors or supervisors of school-sponsored media groups retain the right to censor anything they deem out of line with the educational mission of the school, according to Student Press Law Center’s website.

California, along with Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas and Massachusetts, has passed legislation nullifying the Hazelwood decision and granting public schools the First Amendment rights they deserve. The students at Palo Alto High School are lucky enough to benefit from this legislation and do not feel the implications of the Hazelwood decision. The staff of The Paly Voice does not have to worry about our stories being censored, and have the freedom to write exactly what we consider important, despite potential controversy, and rejoice in our First Amendment right of freedom of the press. However, we believe all students throughout the country should have the same opportunities as we have been given. Without the freedom to publish what they want, how can young journalists gain the experience necessary to grow and develop? And how can the public really know what is going on inside a school?

Good journalism is often controversial; a good article really makes you think and question the world around you. Putting a cap on that  restricts the amount of information given to the public and stunts the growth of beginning journalists. In the “real world,” outside of high school, journalists are constantly pushing the envelope, forcing the public to question their beliefs and learn more about the world, so why aren’t high school students given that same chance?

The Paly Voice feels the Hazelwood decision is not only restrictive and unfair but also a violation  of the Constitution. According to the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The Hazelwood decision blatantly deprives students of freedom of the press, yet if Palo Alto Unified School District forced students to pray in classrooms, people would be outraged. Why is it acceptable to flout one area of the amendment, but not another?

As student journalists in California, we feel lucky to be granted the freedom to write the stories we consider relevant without having to worry that they will be censored by adults around us, and we’d like to take that freedom and use it here — right now, today — to take a stand for those schools less fortunate than our own. In order to acknowledge the anniversary of the Hazelwood Decision, The Paly Voice will put a message on our sight today to recognize the lost rights of others. We would like to sincerely and explicitly express our reservations with the unfair and unconstitutional Hazelwood decision, and urge the students around us to use the freedom we’re so lucky to have to speak out for those who can’t.