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Apply by May 31 to be a NVT Leader

Join us on Zoom to learn about being a New Voices Texas leader

We will host a Zoom meeting on Sunday, May 18 at 8 p.m. for any student who wants to learn more about what it means to serve as an officer and how you can become a leader in the New Voices movement in Texas.

Please use the Zoom info below to join the meeting:

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/89608953380?pwd=MGRFWnc2elJPYk5ESEh1RlYxVGNtdz09

Meeting ID: 896 0895 3380
Passcode: x3bVab

Outgoing student NVT officers and David Doerr, NVT’s faculty adviser, will be on the Zoom call to answer questions.

It’s time to pass the leadership torch to new officers for New Voices Texas while many of our current officers will soon graduate.

We have set May 31 as the deadline for students to apply to become an officer with our student-led advocacy organization.

We will need to fill multiple leadership positions for the coming 2025-2026 school year, which will include a legislative session in which we intend to make a major push to have a New Voices law padded in Texas. We are in particular need of Regional Officers from each corner of the state so there will be lots of opportunities to get involved this year.

And we are open to additional students serving as “Specialists” for things like regional organizing, social media, and all-around promotion. Most of the leadership positions will be dedicated to high school journalists, but we will expand this year’s leadership team to include a college journalist outreach specialist, as well. 

New Voices Texas Officers Application

Please apply to become a New Voices Texas officer for the 2025-2026 school year.

New Voices Officer positions include:

  • Legislative Officer
  • Communications Officer
  • Regional Organizer (four positions to represent West, East, North and South/Central Texas)
  • Educational Officer
  • Club Development Officer

If you know you are interested in becoming an officer, please use this form to apply today!

Click here to apply to be a NVT officer

Volunteer Interest Form

If you are unsure about your ability to serve as an officer but are interested in getting involved with advocating for New Voices Texas, please fill out our Interest Form linked below:

Click here to be a nvt volunteer

May 28 is deadline to apply for SPLC’s virtual Summer New Voices Student Leaders Institute

There is also a great opportunity to be a part of the Student Press Law Center’s national New Voices Student Leaders Institute this summer. If you know a high school student interested in leading the fight to restore and protect student press freedom in your state, encourage them to apply today!

Applicants are accepted from all states for this free program, which runs Tuesday-Thursday afternoons July 15-24. Click here for more information on the New Voices Student Leaders Institute.

The application closes at midnight ET May 28. We’re looking forward to meeting our next cohort of New Voices Student Leaders!

Participants in the all-online program will be joined by Student Press Law Center staff, New Voices leaders, and special guests to learn their unique capacity as organizers, deepen their understanding of civics, lobbying and press freedom, and expand their ability to act as advocates. By the end of the Institute, Student Leaders will identify the pressing needs in their state and local communities and the unique ways in which students can respond, as well as possess the tools necessary to combat these challenges. 

Participation in the Institute is free, but students will commit to serving as student leaders in the New Voices movement during the 2025-2026 advocacy year. For more information about the summer institute, visit the SPLC website.

Click here to Apply for splc new voices summer institute

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Demand a hearing for New Voices bill in Texas House Public Education Committee

Now that a New Voices bill has been referred to the Texas House Public Education Committee, it’s time to push for the bill to get a hearing.

We’ve made two action pages to share with supporters that should make it easier to send email to members of the Texas House Public Education Committee to ask them to schedule the bill for a hearing. April will be a critical month for us to move the ball on New Voices in Texas. 

If we don’t get a hearing and a vote, the bill will die. We have to move the ball as far as we can before the clock runs out.

Use this Action Page for non-student New Voices supporters

Letter for Non-High School Student Supporters

Use this Action Page for student supporters of New Voices

Letter for High School Student Supporters

Please share these links with as many New Voices supporters as you can.

IMPORTANT: Please ask everyone to customize these letters so they don’t all read exactly the same.

Press Coverage

Share these articles with fellow Free Press supporters to help them understand the work we are doing to bolster student press rights in Texas.

The Shield: Austin-area student journalists seek legislative support for student press freedom​​​

ShiftPress: New Voices Texas Organizes Lobby Day for Student Journalists’ Rights​​

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Join us at New Voices Texas Lobby Day 2025

Join us at the Capitol in Austin on Monday, March 17, to fight for a New Voices bill in Texas!

We expect a New Voices bill to be filed by the end of the week and now it’s time for us to demand that lawmakers pass it this year.

We are scheduling appointments to allow supporters to speak directly with lawmakers and their staffers, especially those on the Texas Public Education Committee. And now we’d like to share the details of when to be there, where to park and what to expect when you get to the Capitol. 

We recommend getting into downtown Austin by 8:30 a.m. at the latest because of traffic and limited parking at the Capitol’s parking garage. We highly suggest that you park at the Capitol’s official Visitors Parking garage between San Jacinto Blvd. and Trinity St. It’s much cheaper than other garages and lots nearby. However, if that garage is full, here’s a website that you can use to look up other lots and garages nearby. 

We ask that participants find us by 9 a.m. at our meetup spot in front of the African American Monument near the southern edge of the Capitol complex. See this map to find the meet-up spot. We plan to train attendees and go over directions and procedures right at 9 a.m. so please don’t be late!

After meetings with various lawmakers, we plan to finish our meetings by 2 p.m. and end the day with a debriefing by 3 p.m. If you still would like to join us, please fill out this Google Form as soon as possible so we know how many to expect so we can purchase donuts and lunch for our participants.

We will have some expenses to pay for our lobby efforts so please consider making a financial contribution to help us pay our bills. 

Thank you all for your continued support of New Voices Texas. See you at the Capitol!

Agenda

  • 9 – 9:30 a.m.: Meet at the Texas African American History Memorial for donuts and a small briefing.
  • 9:30 a.m. — Walk inside the Capitol and go through security checks. After security checks, we will find a meet up inside the Capitol Cafe for the rest of the day.
  • 10 a.m. – noon — Conduct meetings with legislators and/or their staff (each advocate will have a personalized schedule of meeting times).
  • Noon: Head back to the Texas African American History Memorial for a picnic pizza lunch.
  • 12:45 p.m.: Walk back inside the Capitol and go through security checks.
  • 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.: Conduct meetings with legislators and/or their staff (each advocate will have a personalized schedule of meeting times).
  • 2 p.m.: Meet at the cafe and then head back to the Texas African American History Memorial for a final quick debrief.
  • 2:30 p.m.: Lobby Day is over! Thank you for attending.

What to Bring: 

  • Throughout the day, we will work in groups to meet with various lawmakers and speak to them about the importance of New Voices legislation. Each lobby day attendee will receive a folder, complete with a set of printed materials to reference. While attending these meetings, it would be helpful to have the following:
    • Notebook and pen, for note-taking 
    • Water and snacks

What to Wear: 

  • Please try to dress professionally when meeting with legislators. Select comfortable shoes, as we will be walking across the Capitol grounds for each meeting. 
  • If you have a New Voices Texas t-shirt, that would be great to wear, as well.

How can I prepare? 

  • As student journalists, advisers, or people involved in scholastic media, we are very familiar with telling stories. A lobby day effort is all about personalizing the issue at hand. What specific experiences can you share about how you engage with your school, and greater community? 

GroupMe:

  • All advocates that have signed up to attend, are asked to join our GroupMe chat, “New Voices Lobby Day 2025,” for all communication during the day.
  • If you do not have the app, try to download it so that communication is easier. If you are unable to download the app, you will receive SMS messages from it.
  • If you are unable to use our GroupMe for any reason during the day, text our Lobby Day coordinator Poojasai Kona at 402-440-1660.
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Introducing New Voices Texas officers on Constitution Day

New Voices Texas is proud to introduce our new team of student leaders who are taking the helm to push for a state law to protect student journalists and student journalists from a long history of censorship of student publications in Texas.

September 17, 2024 is Constitution Day, and we invite students in Texas to test their knowledge of the First Amendment and student press rights with quizzes provided by the Student Press Law Center. Before you jump into the quizzes, be sure to check out this presentation about student press rights or check out Checkology’s lesson on the First Amendment to learn about the history of press rights in the United States.

To learn more about our student leaders, check out the Leadership page on our website. Get to know our Regional Organizers to find your area point of contact for four regions in Texas.

Feel free to reach out to us at newvoices4texas@gmail.com and share your censorship stories with us so we can tell your stories when we push to pass a New Voices bill in Texas this spring.

Introducing the 2024-2025 New Voices Texas Leadership Team

Communications — Fakheri Zayed, Rouse High School, Leander ISD, Leander
Legislative — Barbara Figuera Salazar, Paetow High School, Katy ISD, Katy
Education — Katie Grumet, Bowie High School, Austin ISD, Austin
Club Development — Shiren Noorani, Hebron High School, Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch ISD, Lewisville
Regional Organizer North — Poojasai Kona, Frisco HS, Frisco ISD, Frisco
Regional Organizer West — Sarah Miller Aledo High School, Aledo ISD, Aledo
Regional Organizer East —Eliza Teo, Bellaire High School, Houston ISD, Houston
Regional South/Central Organizer — Charlotte Schwarte, Bowie High School, Austin ISD, Austin
New Voices Texas Specialists

Erick Garcia — Club Development Specialist/East Texas Regional Organizing Specialist, Caney Creek High School, Conroe ISD, Conroe
Jordan Sisco — Communications, McNiel High School, Round Rock ISD, Round Rock
Sarah Miller — Legislative, Aledo High School, Aledo ISD, Aledo
Poojasai Kona — Communications, Frisco HS, Frisco ISD, Frisco

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New Voices Texas stands with student journalists under threat of censorship in Houston ISD

New Voices Texas released the following statement today. Contact Dominic Plata, NVT Communications Officer, at newvoices4texas@gmail.com if you have questions or media inquiries.

PDF version of NVT Press Statement

Yearbooks are not just for happy stories

TEXAS – New Voices Texas, a student-led press rights advocacy organization, is deeply concerned with actions taken by administration at Bellaire High School in Houston ISD after complaints arose about yearbook coverage of how a student at the school reacted to the Israel-Hamas War.

Unfortunately, the New York Post — and other outside media outlets — used quotes out of context from a yearbook story titled “Times of Palestine” to make it appear that an Arab student at the school was dismissive of the tragic death and violence that has occurred in the war. It has been a disappointing example of media outlets producing sensationalized coverage.

In response to the controversy, Bellaire Principal Michael Niggli sent an email to parents and students there in which he wrote “We will be enforcing new editorial protocols for all student publications in the coming weeks as we prepare for 2024-25.”

New Voices Texas is concerned that these “new editorial protocols” could very likely infringe on the press rights of student journalists at Bellaire if school administrators plan to exercise regular prior review and/or prior restraint going forward. Although we understand that it can be difficult to withstand pressure from upset parents and community members, we believe it is important for school administrators to support student journalists as they take ownership of their work and be allowed to take part in responding to criticism when controversies arise. 

At New Voices Texas, we believe that there is a better way to address controversies other than school administrators taking over control of what are supposed to be student-led publications. Instead, we believe Texas should join the 18 other states who have passed “New Voices” laws that clarify the roles of students, teachers and administrators in the student publication process. 

With a New Voices law, administrators like Niggli would not be the one answering for the criticism of student decisions. A New Voices law would make clear that students are responsible for content decisions in student publications, providing students with the full opportunity to learn from the student publications experience and protecting school administrators from the headaches of becoming the de facto chief editors of their schools’ student publications. 

This is not the first case  — and it won’t be the last — in which a student publication stirs up controversy. We implore school administrators to proactively support New Voices legislation to safeguard the integrity of student publications instead of taking knee-jerk actions that lead to censoring and the banning coverage of important topics in school newspapers and yearbooks. 

New Voices Texas is also concerned about the school administration’s decision to provide a “revised” yearbook that does not feature the page that was deemed controversial by some. The yearbook staff was not involved in this decision, leaving out the voices of student journalists and the student who was featured in the original story. 

Finally, we also want to dispel the mistaken idea that yearbooks are only for “happy stories,” which has sadly become commonplace. Yearbooks are meant to serve as the record of the important events that occur at a school over the course of a year. This includes the full range of events, including the accomplishments and challenges faced by students and the world at large. The bottom line is that yearbooks ARE journalism, just as much as school newspapers and other student media outlets. 

Student journalists learn by doing and along the way they learn to meet professional standards that can put them in position to win awards that can bring positive attention to their school. Organizations that provide critiques to student publications like the National Scholastic Press Association and the Interscholastic League Press Conference, expect to see student journalists follow the tenets and values of high quality journalism when deciding which schools will be awarded top prizes. At schools where students are banned from covering controversial topics, students will be precluded from winning such honors and recognition.

###

About New Voices Texas

New Voices Texas serves as a statewide coalition of student journalists and supporters committed to securing press freedom with the aid of a state law aimed at clarifying the role of students, publication advisers and administrators in the student publication process. By championing the cause of press freedom in educational institutions, New Voices Texas empowers student journalists and reinforces the Constitutional right of free speech. We hope to rally support from students, teachers, administrators and the public at large to demand that lawmakers support such a vitally important law to rectify the harm caused to student journalists by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hazelwood School District et al. v. Kuhlmeier decision in 1988.

Contact New Voices Texas

To learn more about New Voices Texas, visit our website at newvoicestx.com. To learn more about the New Voices movement in the United States, visit the Student Press Law Center’s webpage at splc.org/new-voices/. 

Follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/newvoicestx/ and on Facebook at facebook.com/newvoicestexas

Email us at newvoices4texas@gmail.com.

View a Redacted version of yearbook spread

Text of the feature story

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Apply by May 31 to be a NVT Officer

It’s time to pass the leadership torch to new officers for New Voices Texas while many of our current officers will soon graduate.

We have set May 31 as the deadline for students to apply to become an officer with our student-led advocacy organization.

We will need to fill multiple leadership positions for the coming 2024-2025 school year, which will include a legislative session in which we intend to make a major push to have a New Voices law padded in Texas. We are in particular need of Regional Officers from each corner of the state so there will be lots of opportunities to get involved this year.

And we are open to additional students serving as “Specialists” for things like regional organizing, social media, and all-around promotion.

New Voices Texas Officers Application

Please apply to become a New Voices Texas officer for the 2024-2025 school year.

New Voices Officer positions include:

  • Legislative Officer
  • Communications Officer
  • Regional Organizer (four positions to represent West, East, North and South/Central Texas)
  • Educational Officer
  • Club Development Officer

If you know you are interested in becoming an officer, please use this form to apply today!

Click here to apply to be a NVT officer

Volunteer Interest Form

If you are unsure about your ability to serve as an officer but are interested in getting involved with advocating for New Voices Texas, please fill out our Interest Form linked below:

Click here to be a nvt volunteer

May 17 is deadline to apply for SPLC’s virtual Summer New Voices Student Leaders Institute

There is also a great opportunity to be a part of the Student Press Law Center’s national New Voices Student Leaders Institute this summer. If you know a high school student interested in leading the fight to restore and protect student press freedom in your state, encourage them to apply today!

Applicants are accepted from all states for this free program, which runs Tuesday-Thursday afternoons July 18-27. Click here for more information on the New Voices Student Leaders Institute.

The application closes at midnight ET May 17. We’re looking forward to meeting our next cohort of New Voices Student Leaders!

Participants in the all-online program will be joined by Student Press Law Center staff, New Voices leaders, and special guests to learn their unique capacity as organizers, deepen their understanding of civics, lobbying and press freedom, and expand their ability to act as advocates. By the end of the Institute, Student Leaders will identify the pressing needs in their state and local communities and the unique ways in which students can respond, as well as possess the tools necessary to combat these challenges. 

The Institute will run from July 16-25. Last year participants were expect to participate from Tuesday – Thursday from 1 pm – 4 pm Eastern/10 am – 1 pm Pacific time, with optional sessions until 5 pm Eastern/2 pm Pacific.

Participation in the Institute is free, but students will commit to serving as student leaders in the New Voices movement during the 2024-2025 advocacy year. For more information about the summer institute, visit the SPLC website.

Application Due by May 17.

Click here to Apply for splc new voices summer institute
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Raise awareness of student press rights in Texas on Student Press Freedom Day

When you think of journalism, what comes to mind? When you think of student journalism, what changes? Maybe not much — but for student journalists, their status as students means everything.

With the national Student Press Freedom Day scheduled to take place on Thursday, Feb. 22, teachers and students in Texas have an opportunity to discuss what elements of student press rights are protected by the First Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court rulings and what is not.

Sadly, cases of administrative censorship for student media publications across the nation are not uncommon. In 1988’s Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, the United States Supreme Court gave public high school administration the ability to censor student publications if they have a “legitimate pedagogical concern” — vague language that allows schools to practice arbitrary censorship. 

This ruling went against almost 20 years of precedent set by the 1969 Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court case that ruled that no student sheds their First Amendment rights as they cross the schoolhouse gate after students wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. 

Since then, 17 states have taken steps to remedy this threat to student journalism by passing state laws (known as New Voices laws) that clarify what can be censored and what cannot. Why not Texas?

New Voices Texas invites educators and students to participate in various events during Scholastic Journalism Week (Feb. 19-23) — especially Student Press Freedom Day (Feb. 22) — to learn more about how students can advocate for student press rights.

New Voices Texas is a youth-led advocacy movement that organizes student leaders to enact legislation to counteract the consequences of the Hazelwood decision. We seek to help students, advisors, and Texas communities to work against the challenges that threaten student First Amendment rights. 

Student Press Freedom Day and the Journalism Education Association’s Scholastic Journalism Week are important days of action to amplify the efforts of student journalists nationwide and increase visibility for the key roles they play in their respective campuses and greater communities. 

What we’re asking you is to join us. Promote the cause on your campus, your community, your world. 

Here’s some ways to take action on Student Press Freedom Day. 

The Student Press Law Center has developed a list of 50 ways everyone can get involved in raising awareness about student press rights. Check out all of the categories of activities for educators, students, student media and non-educators. There is literally something for everyone!

There are also various virtual events SPLC is hosting with various partners over the next week so don’t miss out on the chance to get involved in fight.

Stay connected with New Voices Texas.

Being connected to our organization only helps us better spread the word about the importance of student journalism and helps us achieve our goals. Sign up for our email notification list here, and access our website along with other resources and information here.

Participate in JEA’s Scholastic Journalism Week.

The Journalism Education Association has supported free and responsible scholastic journalism for 100 years this year. Teachers, utilize your time in the classroom through JEA’s resources to spark meaningful conversations amongst your journalists to encourage discussion in your school, community, and district about what you can do to protect student press rights in Texas.

Open the Google Doc lessons below and “make a copy” to save the file for future use and make adjustments for your classroom.

Monday, Feb. 19 — First Amendment

Tuesday, Feb. 20 — Journalism Then

Wednesday, Feb. 21 — Journalism Now

Thursday, Feb. 22 — Student Press Freedom Day

Friday, Feb. 23 — Journalism Next

Throughout the week, and throughout the year, use the hashtags #SJW2024 and #HeretoStay when you share works of journalism from your staff, reminding your community of the importance of scholastic journalism. You can do this on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Promote Student Press Freedom Day on your campus

Present NVT’s template lesson on the history of student press freedom in Texas to your publication staff or school campus.

Have your publication editors and your school principals sign the NVT publication and administrator’s pledge, to stand against student press censorship.

Share the work you do on social media and tag NVT (Instagram: @newvoicestx, Facebook: @newvoicestexas and Threads @newvoicestx)

Utilize NVT’s resources for censorship during Student Press Freedom Day and week. 

Use NVT’s template letter to write to state officials encouraging them to support student press rights bills.

Fill out NVT’s censorship stories survey to report on the current state of censorship in Texas and beyond here. 

Post NVT’s social media templates to encourage awareness in your school. 

Initiate conversations with administration at your school through NVT’s guide on how to approach an administrator about student press rights. 

Use the Student Press Law Center’s resources during class and through social media to increase awareness. 

Know self censorship when you see it and be empowered to tell your own stories by taking SPLC’s Self Censorship Quiz

Use SPLC’s presentation template in class on Student Press Freedom Day. 

For more resources: 

NVT encourages you to take advantage of these resources, and to promote student journalism freedom the best you can this February during Student Press Freedom Day and Scholastic Journalism Week. 

Stay Powerfully Persistent. 

Thanks, 

New Voices Texas Officers

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Former NVT Officer named Student Press Advocate of the year by TAJE

Catharine Li, the former Communications Officer of New Voices Texas was named the Student Press Advocate of the year on Oct. 9, during the Texas Association of Journalism Educators’ (TAJE) annual Fall Fiesta Convention.

Li, who currently attends the University of Massachusetts — Amherst, accepted the award virtually in front of the 600 students and journalism advisers in attendance for the convention’s awards ceremony. Li, had previously served as the Communications Officer for New Voices Texas, for two years before receiving this award, which was the first such award given to a student from TAJE.

David Doerr, TAJE’s Legislative and Policy Committee Chair, introduced Li and shared examples of the important work she had done to promote New Voices legislation in Texas. Doerr, who also serves as NVT’s Adviser Officer, worked closely with Li in her communications role in which she oversaw the website and social media channels for New Voices Texas as the Communications Officer. Beyond her focus on communications work, Li was the go-to person for getting things done for all sorts of projects. 

Li’s talents and dedication were especially apparent when working with NVT’s legislative officer to organize an in-person Lobby Day event at the Texas Capitol during Spring Break this year. This event required communicating with various audiences, including volunteer student activists, lawmakers, and the public at large via our website and social media channels. Her work was invaluable in helping NVT make this event a success and achieving its lobbying goals at the Capitol. 

Below is an excerpt of her award acceptance speech:

When the New Voices Texas team led a lobbying effort at the State Capitol this past March, we were met with students who had never been involved in youth organizing before. The idea of speaking to lawmakers, running across the expansive and confusing Capitol grounds, and cold calling legislative staff did not deter them in the slightest. They arrived at the Capitol bright and early, (which I should also mention, was the first day of Spring Break) and buckled down to help us meet with as many representatives as we could in one single day. 

This is precisely what tethers my experience as a student journalist to community. The idea of showing up. Showing up in response to a call for action. To fight for student journalists’ rights to publish free from the fear of unduly censorship and restraint. Unfortunately, the state of student press freedom in Texas is vastly different across regions. Incidents of censorship are growing, posing significant implications for student journalists seeking to do their jobs without fear of retribution from their administration. 

What you may not realize is that your presence here today is a form of advocacy—your active participation in workshops to enhance the skills you bring back to your publication, sharing your experiences with your peers who may amplify your perspective—they all equip you to be a better, more robust advocate for yourself, and others. 

Now, you don’t need me to tell you why student journalism is important. But what I hope you can think about is just how crucial of a role you play in your school, and your greater community. Asking the important questions to shed light on the issues most pertinent to your peers, and what it means to be a student right now. Building a personal testimony, holding difficult conversations with administrators who are interfering with the student publication process. Standing your ground when you face pushback for coverage of a “controversial” matter, even when exercising the same standards of ethical, fact-based reporting and critical thinking as our professional counterparts. As student journalists, we fight for our communities. We fight for our voices, we fight for our stories, and we fight for our right to tell them. 

I hope you feel empowered to tap into your own story, because it is never too late to be an advocate for student press freedom. Student journalists have a unique responsibility to bridge the gap between news literacy and civic engagement for young people. Be proud of your work, and keep on fighting the good fight. 

Congrats to Catharine, who graduated from Westwood High School in Round Rock ISD in June after serving as the co-editor-in-chief of The Horizon student newspaper.

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Apply by June 9 to be a NVT Officer

It’s time to pass the leadership torch to new officers for New Voices Texas while many of our current officers are graduating now.

We have set June 9 as the deadline for students to apply to become an officer with our student-led advocacy organization.

So far, we only have three applicants for officer positions that we will need to fill for the coming school year. That’s not enough to fill all of our positions. We are in particular need of Regional Officers from West, East, North and Central/South Texas.

And we are open to additional students serving as “Specialists” for things like regional organizing, social media, and all-around promotion.

The current legislative session is over, but there will be another legislative session starting in January 2025 so we hope to use this next year to build our movement and work at the local levels to educate lawmakers and influencers about the importance of New Voices legislation.

New Voices Texas Officers Application

Please apply to become a New Voices Texas officer for the 2023-2024 school year.

New Voices Officer positions include:

  • Legislative Officer
  • Communications Officer
  • Regional Organizer (four positions to represent West, East, North and South/Central Texas)
  • Educational Officer
  • Club Development Officer

If you know you are interested in becoming an officer, please use this form to apply today!

Click here to apply to be a NVT officer

Volunteer Interest Form

If you are unsure about your ability to serve as an officer but are interested in getting involved with advocating for New Voices Texas, please fill out our Interest Form linked below:

Click here to be a nvt volunteer

June 9 is deadline to apply for SPLC Summer New Voices Student Leaders Institute

There’s just over one week left to apply for the 2023 New Voices Student Leaders Institute. If you know a high school student interested in leading the fight to restore and protect student press freedom in your state, encourage them to apply today!

Applicants are accepted from all states for this free program, which runs Tuesday-Thursday afternoons July 18-27. Click here for more information on the New Voices Student Leaders Institute.

Applications close at midnight ET June 9. We’re looking forward to meeting our next cohort of New Voices Student Leaders!

Participants in the all-online program will be joined by Student Press Law Center staff, New Voices leaders, and special guests to learn their unique capacity as organizers, deepen their understanding of civics, lobbying and press freedom, and expand their ability to act as advocates. By the end of the Institute, Student Leaders will identify the pressing needs in their state and local communities and the unique ways in which students can respond, as well as possess the tools necessary to combat these challenges. 

The Institute will run from July 18-27, and participants should expect to participate from Tuesday – Thursday from 1 pm – 4 pm Eastern/10 am – 1 pm Pacific time, with optional sessions until 5 pm Eastern/2 pm Pacific.

Participation in the Institute is free, but students will commit to serving as student leaders in the New Voices movement during the 2023-2024 advocacy year. For more information about the summer institute, visit the SPLC website.

Application Due by June 9

Click here to Apply for splc new voices summer institute
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Ask administrators, school board members and student publications to show their support of New Voices legislation

The 2021-2022 school year was a ridiculously difficult time to try to pass a bill through the Texas legislative process, which is tough in a non-pandemic year. With only 140 days, starting in January and ending in May, very few bills make it through the process. This year State Rep. Mary González, filed HB 422 as a New Voices bill. Rep. Harold Dutton, Chairman of the House Public Education Committee, never scheduled a hearing for the bill so it ultimately died when the session ended on May 31.

We are now planning for the future by collecting the names of school board members, school administrators and student publications that support New Voices legislation in Texas. To do this, New Voices Texas has started a pledge program in which we are asking student publications leaders, administrators and school board members to pledge their support for passage of a New Voices law in Texas. We will use these pledges to create and publish lists of student publications, administrators and school board members who support New Voices in Texas. 

We are excited to have these new officers carry the fight to pass a New Voices law in Texas forward. We all recognize that this will be a multi-year effort in which we will make progress incrementally over time and we intend to raise awareness and build a coalition that will eventually pass a state law that will cure Hazelwood and provide important protections for student press rights in Texas.