The Star Tribune reports that students of Faribault High School, Minnesota, have moved their newspaper online after it was shut down by the school’s superintendent. The superintendent shut down the paper after student editors refused to show him an article about an investigation into a middle school teacher before going to press.
Now students will publish their newspaper Echo exclusively online and outside of school, with the help of one teacher who will assist them on her own time. Because they will no longer be using the district’s money or resources, they will no longer be subject to the district’s jurisdiction. The school’s superintendent states:
“It’s well within their right . . . Any group of students could put together a website like that. That’s the way life is in this electronic age.”
However, in light of recent cyberbullying laws, it is evident that student speech appearing on the internet is not always safe.