EFF: Guide for Student Bloggers Helps Kids Speak Out

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        [E-B] EFF: Guide for Student Bloggers Helps Kids Speak Out
Date:   Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:15:21 -0800
From:   EFF Press <press () eff org>
Reply-To:       press () eff org
To:     presslist () eff org



Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Friday, November 18, 2005

Contact:

Kevin Bankston
  Staff Attorney
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  bankston () eff org
  +1 415 436-9333 x126

Kurt Opsahl
  Staff Attorney
  Electronic Frontier Foundation
  kurt () eff org
  +1 415 436 9333 x106

Guide for Student Bloggers Helps Kids Speak Out

Legal Blogging Tips from EFF

San Francisco - Millions of students across the country are
speaking their minds in Internet blogs, and some kids are
getting punished for it despite their right to free
expression.  School administrators in one New Jersey
district disciplined a student for his website that was
critical of the school.  The student eventually received a
settlement of $117,500 for the violation of his First
Amendment rights, but not before he was suspended for a
week and barred from going on his class trip.

Just what are students allowed to publish about their
school, their teachers, and their classmates?  The
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released a guide to
student blogging Friday to help kids learn about their
rights and how to defend them.  These are important issues
for millions of students: a study this month by the Pew
Internet & American Life Project says approximately 4
million teens keep a blog.

"Teens are blogging everyday, reaching an audience of
millions," said EFF Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl. "With this
legal guide, students will have the tools they need to blog
legally, and understand how to defend their rights."

The guide to student blogging addresses the different rules
for personal blogs and school blogs, for both public and
private school students.  It also gives advice on how to
speak freely about school and discuss controversial issues.

"Students can and should talk about what's important to
them in their blogs," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin
Bankston.  "That is naturally going to include their school
life, and perhaps even topics that make some adults
uncomfortable.  Students should know their First Amendment
rights, so that they can continue to have honest
discussions about their lives."

For the guide to student blogging:
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/faq-students.php

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2005_11.php#004170

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/


    -end-

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