February is officially here, and with it comes the most important time of the year for student press advocacy. Scholastic Journalism Week (Feb. 23–27) is our chance to highlight the vital work of student truth-tellers across the state. Review this list of activities to find whatever your have the time and ability to do.
This week—and specifically Student Press Freedom Day this Thursday, Feb. 26—is the perfect moment to join the New Voices Texas movement. Whether you are a student, a parent, an educator, or a concerned citizen, your voice is needed to help protect editorial independence and First Amendment rights in our schools.
📢 How You Can Get Involved This Week
Learn About the Movement: We invite all supporters to review the New Voices Texas Presentation. This resource explains our mission to pass protective legislation in Texas and provides clear steps on how you can take ownership of these rights and help us grow.
Support Student Journalists: This year’s theme is “Press Under Pressure.” Take a moment to share our message on social media or reach out to your local student media program to let them know you stand with them.
Build Bridges with School Leaders: If you know a supportive school administrator, use this Canva Template to create a Certificate of Appreciation. Positive relationships between journalists and administrators are key to a healthy press environment!
Attend the Student Press Freedom Webinar: On February 28, we are hosting a deep dive into the legal landscape of student rights.
Note for students: Use a personal email address to ensure you receive the Zoom confirmation.
🎨 Spread the Word
Help us raise awareness by engaging with our community activities:
SPLC Press Freedom Quiz: Test your knowledge with the SPLC’s Press Freedom Quiz and share your score to start a conversation about First Amendment misconceptions.
Instagram Collaborations: Posting a video or photo about why student press freedom matters to you? Send a “Collab” request on Instagram to @newvoicestx so we can amplify your post!
⚖️ Join Our Leadership Team
We are still actively recruiting adult supporters to join our Steering Committee (Deadline: Feb. 28!) and our Advisory Board. If you are a journalist, lawyer, or advocate ready to help lead the charge for legislative change, please fill out our interest form.
Let’s make this Scholastic Journalism Week a turning point for student rights in Texas. Together, we can ensure the next generation of journalists is protected and empowered.
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.
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
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.
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/.
New Voices of Texas 