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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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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.

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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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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