Public or independent schools:
Whose expression is protected is complex
School type, court decisions state laws and how student media are established can all have a role
by Kristin Taylor
If public school student journalists face censorship, they can turn to the First Amendment. Because public schools are funded by the government, school officials are government agents. Private (also known as “independent”) schools are not funded by the government, so those school officials are not government agents — the First Amendment does not apply.
This might make one assume that public school students have full speech protection and private school students do not, but it’s not that simple.
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