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A Call to Supporters of Student Press Freedom: Why We Need You Now

By New Voices Texas

We are currently living through a tumultuous era for the First Amendment. From the erosion of public trust in media to the increasing challenges facing newsrooms across the country, the infrastructure of a free press is being tested as never before.

In this environment, the challenge of training and supporting the next generation of journalists is not merely an academic concern—it is a democratic imperative. Yet, at the very moment when young storytellers need the strongest protection to learn their craft, they are often the most vulnerable to administrative overreach.

The Reality in Texas

As advocates for the First Amendment, we know that a free press is the cornerstone of our democracy. However, across the state of Texas, student journalists in high schools and colleges face administrative censorship and prior review that would be unthinkable in a professional newsroom.

When we allow student voices to be silenced, we are not just suppressing a single story; we are teaching the next generation that the First Amendment is conditional, and that truth is subject to the permission of those in power. We believe that the “student” prefix should never function as a waiver of constitutional rights.

A New Chapter for the Movement

Since 2019, New Voices Texas—a nonpartisan, student-led grassroots coalition—has been working tirelessly to pass state legislation that protects the editorial independence of student media and prevents retaliation against journalism advisors.

Our student leaders have shown incredible resilience, but the path through the Texas Capitol is steep. We recognize that for this movement to finally cross the finish line, we need to bridge the gap between student passion and professional influence.

This is where you come in.

We are issuing a call to all journalists, lawyers, educators, and First Amendment supporters: Stand with our students. We are actively recruiting a coalition of adults and industry professionals to provide the strategic weight and mentorship necessary to turn our vision into law.

How You Can Serve

We have designed two distinct participation paths for adult supporters to join our leadership team:

  • Path A: Full Leadership & Legacy Serve on the Steering Committee through May to help shape our immediate strategy, and then transition into a permanent member of our Advisory Board starting in June.
  • Path B: Targeted Strategic Support Serve on the Steering Committee as a temporary adviser through the end of May to provide expert guidance during this critical spring window.

Why Your Voice Matters

The 2027 Texas Legislative Session represents a critical window for student press freedom. To succeed, our student advocates need the legal expertise, media strategy, and professional credibility that only veteran journalists and First Amendment experts can provide.

Your involvement signals to lawmakers that student press rights are not just a “school issue”—they are a fundamental priority for the entire Texas media landscape.

Important Deadlines

To ensure we have our team ready to take action this spring, please note the following application deadlines:

  • Steering Committee Deadline: February 28
  • Permanent Advisory Board Deadline: May 1

Join the Movement

If you are ready to help us protect the future of Texas journalism, please complete our brief interest form below. Let us know which path fits your schedule and how your unique expertise can help us empower the next generation.

Complete the New Voices Texas Interest Form Here

Together, we can ensure that the future of the First Amendment in Texas is bright, bold, and protected.

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Beyond the Byline: Join the conversation about student press rights in Texas in our new podast

Check out the Beyond the Byline podcast on YouTube and the other major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Listen in to this inaugural episode led by NVT officers Trisha Panicker and Sydney Ortiz.

Beyond the Byline — New Voices Texas in 2026 – Beyond the Byline

Trisha Panicker and Sydney Ortiz, student journalists and New Voices Texas officers, discuss the importance of fighting for student press rights in Texas. They discuss how supporters of scholastic journalism can rally support in their communities to pass a state law that will protect student journalists from censorship in all of its many forms.
  1. Beyond the Byline — New Voices Texas in 2026
  2. Introducing to Amplify a New Voices of Texas podcast
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New Officers, More Power

NVT’s leadership team plans new outreach, podcast and merch to boost student press freedom before next session

By Faye Zayed

A record of 17 officers and specialists. Six returning and 11 new. This is the largest number of student journalists across the state that New Voices Texas (NVT) has had before. With the growth, NVT is determined to increase outreach and build connections with state lawmakers to prepare for the legislative session in 2027. 

NVT is a non-profit, student-led organization that focuses on protecting student journalists and advisers by passing the New Voices Bill. The bill will prevent the censorship, prior review and or prior restraint of student media.  

“This year’s team is larger than ever before which means that we can hopefully accomplish more in terms of our advocacy and connecting with legislators,” Co-Education Officer Katie Grumet said. “I’m extremely hopeful with this new team, we have a lot of eager and excited new members that have lots of ideas and are ready to take action.”

Unlike other years, NVT aims to start a podcast with hosts Sydney Ortiz, Communications and  Legislative specialist, and Grumet. They plan to interview advisers, student journalists and state representatives to hear their perspective and thoughts about student press rights. 

“Podcasting is a great tool for advocacy because I have seen the impact it has had on the world in such a short time period,” Ortiz said. “In the last decade podcast views have skyrocketed and it is a convenient way for people to gain information. They can listen anywhere at any time, which allows us to share our goals and information to a much wider audience.”

Along with a podcast, the officers and specialists have agreed to start designing new merchandise, adding tote bags and stickers into their collection. The leadership team anticipates getting the designs and merch printed before Fall Fiesta TAJE, which is a state wide journalism conference. 

“Having merchandise that displays NVT’s message is incredibly important because when we have eye-catching apparel, people are bound to take notice,” Communications Specialist Ava Weaver said. “Because humans are curious, hopefully it will spark interest in our cause for the people that see our merch.”

For social media, this year will be heavy on bringing awareness to NVT and expanding outreach. They plan on increasing educational posts and videos showcasing how the New Voices bill works and why it is important. Furthermore, they intend to start an adviser spotlight, where students can submit their adviser to be featured on the NVT Instagram. 

“I enjoy helping brainstorm different ways for us to get our organization out there,” Grumet said. “NVT challenges me to be creative in the way that advocates and challenges me to think about how to get people passionate about student press rights.”

Before the school year, the regional organizers will send out emails to advisers to increase awareness about NVT. When school starts, the leadership team aspires to meet every two weeks.

“I remember that last year it took a few decent four to five months for us to really open up and connect,” state organizing officer Poojasai Kona said. “But from the get-go this year I feel connected to all my officers. I feel I can rely on them for anything and they can rely on me. We have each other’s backs, and we support each other.”

Last year, NVT had a Lobby Day on March 17, where officers and volunteers, Michael Reeves, Ava Weaver, Erick Garcia, Faye Zayed, Charlotte Schwarte, Elizabeth Yowell and David Doerr came together to speak to legislative offices to gain support for their HB (4821).

“It was an opportunity of a lifetime to go to the capitol and lobby for this bill,” Garcia said. “Speaking to the legislative offices was a new point of contact that I’ve ever done before. Speaking with State Rep. Diego Bernal was a whole different world. He was able to connect us journalists with how we are superheroes and how we use our skills for good.” 

The bill was first sponsored by State Rep. Gina Hinojosa and after Lobby Day, State Rep. Diego Bernal expressed interest in becoming a co-sponsor. Ultimately, the bill wasn’t scheduled to the public education committee, ending its chances of passing.  

“Speaking to legislators was a very empowering experience because everyone that I spoke to admired what I was doing, which gave me confidence not only in my advocacy abilities but in speaking to [others] in power,” Grumet said. “Legislators typically respond really well to seeing people, especially students, showing up at the Capitol advocating for their cause.”

For student journalists in Texas interested in learning more, they can connect with NVT through their instagram, @newvoicestx. 

“Student press rights matter because they protect our ability to report the truth and represent student voices without censorship,” Garcia said. “They teach us how real journalism works, how to ask hard questions and think critically.”

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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