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Street Law / Landmark Cases / Cases / Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

Censorship, Student Press Rights

" . . . educators do not offend the First Amendment by exercising editorial control over the style and content of student speech in school-sponsored expressive activities so long as their actions are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns." —Justice White, speaking for the majority

Hazelwood East High School Principal Robert Reynolds procedurally reviewed the Spectrum, the school’s student-written newspaper, before publication. In May 1983, he decided to have certain pages pulled because of the sensitive content in two of the articles, and acted quickly to remove them in order to meet the paper’s publication deadline. The journalism students felt that this censorship was a direct violation of their First Amendment rights. The Supreme Court decided that Principal Reynolds had the right to such editorial decisions, as he had “legitimate pedagogical concerns.”

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About the materials

These materials were developed for students of various skill levels, and teachers should choose the level that works best for their students. Answers to the background questions, vocabulary, and activities can be found in the FOR TEACHERS ONLY tab under each case.

Background summary and questions to consider (by reading level)

Important vocabulary (by reading level)

Legal Concepts

Freedom of the Press

Other useful background information

How the case moves through the court system

Activities

The Case

After the Case

* Answers to the background questions, vocabulary, and activities can be found in the FOR TEACHERS ONLY tab under each case.

Teaching strategies used

Planning time and activities

If you have one day . . .

As a warm-up, have students complete You Decide: Were Students' Rights Violated? Since students don't have the necessary background, ask them to complete ONLY the column labeled Yes/No.
Read the background summary as a class (•••, •). Have students complete the questions to consider. Discuss their answers.
Have students read Key Excerpts from the Majority Opinion and answer the accompanying questions.
At this point, students should be ready to return to the What Would You Do? activity.

If you have two days . . .

Complete all activities for the first day.
On the second day, begin class with a discussion of the homework (What Would You Do?).
Next, have students complete the Evaluating Web Sites activity.
For homework, as a long-term assignment, have students begin the Create Your Own Political Cartoon activity.

If you have three days . . .

Complete all activities for the first and second days.
On the second day, begin class with a discussion of the homework (the What Would You Do? activity).
Next, have students complete the Evaluating Web Sites activity.
On the third day, have students complete the Should the State Enact "Anti-Hazelwood" Legislation? activity (minus the For Extension section).
For homework, have students complete the For Extension section of the Should the State Enact "Anti-Hazelwood" Legislation? One option is to create a political cartoon. Students who choose that option should follow the guidelines outlined in the How to Draw an Editorial Cartoon article.

If you have four days . . .

Complete all activities for the first day.
On the second day, begin class with a discussion of the homework (What Would You Do?).
Next, have students complete Evaluating Web Sites.
On the third day, have students complete the Should the State Enact "Anti-Hazelwood" Legislation? activity (minus the For Extension section).
On the fourth day, complete the Real World Case Study: Censorship of a Student-Produced Television Show activity.
Introduce the Create Your Own Political Cartoon activity. Have students finish the activity outside of class as a long-term assignment.

(Note to teachers: There are a number of web sites listed in the RESOURCES tab. Experiment by developing your own activities that go along with these sites.)

Recommended Resources

For Teachers Only

This section contains answers and tips for differentiated instruction for select activities. To gain access, simply sign in.

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Contact: If you have questions/problems registering or accessing the teacher only materials, please contact Charlotte Friar (cfriar@streetlaw.org, 301.589.1130 ext. 250).