More words of encouragement

Although he elected not to hold a committee hearing on Senate Bill 6449, Sen. Adam Kline said that he still firmly believes in the mission of the bill and believes it has value (via J-Ideas):

"Freedom breeds responsibility," Kline said. "Yes, (passing the bill) is a much needed improvement--a statement of trust."

Kline also said there is nothing in the bill that he would change, and he will persist at supporting the bill, explaining, "we adults are not good at letting go."

Sen. Joe McDermott, the bill's primary sponsor, also elaborated on his planned reintroduction of the bill in 2009.

"I do believe that awareness of student press rights is important and putting this bill forward opens the communication line to create a bill that can gain agreement," McDermott said. "In the short term, I believe some people are concerned that, on rare occasion, instruction will be interrupted when student journalists touch a nerve in their community -- something I know as a legislator the press can do at times."

Take heart, Washington

Even with the news that Senate Bill 6449 has met a premature death, encouragement is pouring in for those of us who fought on its behalf.

First, this from Rep. Dave Upthegrove, who sponsored the original incarnation of the bill (House Bill 1307) last legislative session, via J-Ideas:

“We always knew it was a long-shot this year, but we felt it was important to introduce the bill in the Senate to begin the discussion in that chamber and to keep a spotlight on the issue,” Upthegrove said. “The Legislature will re-organize after the November election, and there may be new Senators and new committee assignments. We absolutely will reintroduce the bill next year.”

And then this, from Mark Goodman -- former executive director of the Student Press Law Center:

For what its worth, it was your efforts there in Washington that brought this effort back to life around the country after over a decade of dormancy. Legislators and others are talking about student press freedom as an issue of educational policy because of you folks. From the perspective of all of us watching from afar, we owe you a lot. Thanks for your hard work. Like Brian (Schraum), I believe success will come.

Student Free Press Bill dead for 2008

Sen. Adam Kline, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has declined to give Senate Bill 6449 a hearing, effectively rendering the legislation dead for the second consecutive year.

What happened? It's unlikely the bill was going to gain the necessary votes to make it out of committee in its present form -- with high schools included -- and in this short, 60-day session, bills that aren't on the fast track often get cast to the wayside.

However, as a famous man once said, this is not the end. It's not even the beginning of the end. We will all work hard to get legislation introduced next year, and the committees -- which hold so much power in the process -- likely will get shifted somewhat in 2009. Additionally, the opportunity still exists to educate your legislators in the meantime.

Here are the thoughts of Brian Schraum, the former Enumclaw High School and Washington State University student journalist who was the inspiration behind the initial bill and has worked tirelessly on its behalf the past two years:

Dear friends,

Writing this for the second time sure doesn’t make it any easier.

Today we learned that SB 6449, the latest incarnation of Washington’s student press freedom legislation, will not be scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

I know this is disappointing. I’m disappointed too – especially that the passionate students, educators and journalists who support this bill didn’t have the opportunity to speak in Olympia again. We student press advocates are a feisty bunch. And we’re not done yet.

We’ve asked a lot of you over these last two years. We asked you to get involved. We asked you to spread the word. We asked to you to believe – to believe in the importance of this legislation and that passing it was possible.

It IS possible.

And it will happen – that much I’m convinced of. We passed this legislation in the House, and I honestly believe we came within just a few committee votes in the Senate. Next year the tune starts playing in Committee Musical Chairs, and things change. And the opportunity to educate our elected officials in this session continues.

We’ll have plenty of time to dissect this effort, to look at what went wrong and what didn’t. I’d urge you not to point the finger of blame at anyone just yet. For now, I think it’s safe to say this outcome was more political than philosophical.

So instead of growing cynical about a process that hasn’t yet been successful, I’d ask you to use that energy to thank a few folks. Thank the 18 member organizations of our state- and nation-wide coalition of folks who believe so strongly in student voices and real journalism. Thank Sen. Joe McDermott, Rep. Dave Upthegrove, Bryce McKibben of the Washington Student Lobby, Kathy Schrier of the Washington Journalism Education Association, and so many others for their invaluable contribution to this effort.

And thank the Association of Washington School Principals, which took the time (when others wouldn’t) to hear us out and realize we do more for students when we understand each other. That dialogue is the beginning of something big.

I’ll ask one thing more: don’t give up. Your efforts will matter throughout this year and into the next more than they ever have before. I’m with you. I may literally be packing up the U-HAUL and moving on down the road in life – but I’m with you on this, now and always.

Great things don’t come easy or by chance, but from the hard work of a dedicated few.

Spokesman-Review supports SB 6449

For the second time in as many years, the Spokesman-Review in Spokane has editorialized in favor of student free press legislation.

In today's editorial, the S-R endorsed Senate Bill 6449 as sound educational practice. An excerpt:

We encourage thinking from birth. Thinking -- including the comparison and evaluation of competing ideas -- is a desirable trait at any age, and we want our schools to cultivate it.

One of many logical ways for that to happen is to establish and empower student newspapers in high schools, colleges and universities. Give students a real-life experience in First Amendment freedom. ...

The proposal strikes a fair balance. Still, if it becomes law, it would be remarkable if student publications didn't sometimes cause ulcers and anxiety. It would be disappointing if they didn't.

In time, inexperienced teens develop into skilled drivers, but not without ample time behind the wheel. The same approach will help children grow into citizens.

The link is here, although you'll need a paid registration to read the article.

In the past year, most of the dailies in the state have come out in favor of the proposed legislation. Publications who have publicly supported the bill include the USA Today, the Seattle P-I, The News Tribune, and The Everett Herald. The only major daily in the state to oppose the bill has been The Seattle Times, although WJEA members refuted the Times' claims in these letters to the editor.

Senate Bill 6449 needs YOUR help!

We've been writing a lot here about the latest incarnation of the Student Free Expression Bill, Senate Bill 6449. We are confident that if it can pass its most difficult challenges in the Senate, then it will pass the House of Representatives and, pending governor approval, will be passed into law.

However, it does have some significant hurdles to get over, and that is where YOU come in.

According to Bryce McKibben, president of the Washington Student Lobby, a strong grass roots effort contacting individual senators would make a huge difference right now. Here is part of what he said in an e-mail yesterday:

We are in need of a sustained, grassroots advocacy campaign. ... What we need is for Senators Rodney Tom (in particular, pictured above), James Hargove, and Bob McCaslin to hear from teachers, parents, and student journalists -- student editors in particular -- about the bill. We need to counter the pervasive argument that there is only opposition out there. Our organization does NOT have the resources available to mobilize this important community, so we need your help there. A lot of help.

The reason those senators are so important right now is because they are considered swing votes in the Judiciary Committee. In order for the bill to have a shot at being passed, it must first make it through that committee with five of the eight committee members voting for it.

How can you help? Here are some strategies:

• Write a hand-written letter addressed to the senators above. You can find their addresses by clicking on their names above. (This tends to be the most effective method.)
  
• Send an e-mail to any of the senators above. You can do that via a form on each senator's site.
• Call the legislative hotline at 800-562-6000.
  

This bill clarifies the law with regard to rights and responsibilities of student journalists, their advisers, and school administrators. If it passes, Washington would follow in the steps of seven other states that have passed similar legislation. The current bill is nearly identical to HB 1307 that was introduced first in the House last session, where it passed, only to die in the Senate. This year, the bill was introduced in the Senate first, by Sen. Joe McDermott (34th Dist).

For a full story on the bill and further background, go to www.jideas.org.

WJEA president Kathy Schrier contributed to this report.

Update on free expression bill

The folks over at J-Ideas -- housed at Ball State University in Indiana -- have updated their Senate Bill 6449 story, and it includes quite a few relevant quotes from interested parties.

Most interesting is this quote from the Association of Washington School Principals, which vigorously opposed House Bill 1307 last year:

For this year's bill, Communications Spokesperson Jocelyn McCabe said the organization's members are talking with each other to disuss their thoughts on the bill, which generated "lots of debate" last year.

"We have been working with the WJEA since the end of session last year and have made good progress on this issue," McCabe said. "The legislation has prompted some good discussions between students, advisers and administrators about roles and responsibilities, and we’ve appreciated the opportunity to share the principal’s perspective on student press issues."

Free expression bill referred back to judiciary

All the speculation was for naught, as the Senate K-12 committee referred Senate Bill 6449 -- the Student Free Expression Bill -- back to the Senate Judiciary Committee without comment this morning.

Three of the sponsors of the bill -- primary sponsor Joe McDermott (D-Seattle), and secondary sponsors Adam Kline (D-Seattle) and Brian Weinstein (D-Mercer Island) -- are on the judiciary committee. Kline is the committee chair.

The members of that K-12 committee are as follows. Clicking on each senator's name will take you to a page where you can contact that senator. You can also look up your own district's senator by clicking here.

Senate Judiciary Committee

• Adam Kline - Chair (D-37th District, Seattle)
• Rodney Tom - Vice Chair (D-48th District, Bellevue)
• Bob McCaslin - Ranking Minority Member (R-4th District, Spokane Valley)
• Mike Carrell (R-28th District, Lakewood)
• James Hargrove (D-24th District, Hoquiam)
• Joe McDermott (D-34th District, Seattle)
• Pam Roach (R-31st District, Auburn)
• Brian Weinstein (D-41st District, Mercer Island)

Bill assigned to K-12 committee; two more senators sign on

In what was an unexpected twist today, the Student Free Expression Bill -- SB6449 -- was assigned to the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee. It had been expected that the bill would be referred to the judiciary committee as it was last year.

The good news is that primary sponsor of the bill, Sen. Joe McDermott (D-Seattle), is on that committee, as is secondary sponsor Sen. Brian Weinstein (D-Mercer Island). Perhaps even better news is that the chair of that committee, Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe (D-Seattle, pictured right), has been added today as a secondary sponsor, as has Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Kent).

High schools were stripped from the bill in the senate judiciary committee last year, so perhaps a change of venue bodes well for the bill being sent to the floor.

The members of that K-12 committee are as follows. Clicking on each senator's name will take you to a page where you can contact that senator. You can also look up your district's senator by clicking here.

Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee

• Rosemary McAuliffe - Chair (D-1st District, Seattle)
• Rodney Tom - Vice Chair (D-48th District, Bellevue)
• Curtis King - Ranking Minority Member (R-14th District, Yakima)
• Dale Brandland (R-42nd District, Bellingham)
• Tracey Eide (D-30th District, Federal Way)
• Mike Hewitt (R-16th District, Walla Walla)
• Steve Hobbs (D-44th District, Lake Stevens)
• Janéa Holmquist (R-13th District, Moses Lake)
• Claudia Kauffman (D-47th District, Kent)
• Joe McDermott (D-34th District, Seattle)
• Eric Oemig (D-45th District, Kirkland)
• Marilyn Rasmussen (D-2nd District, Eatonville)
• Brian Weinstein (D-41st District, Mercer Island)
• Joseph Zarelli (R-18th District, Ridgefield)
  

Coalition, Sen. McDermott announce new student press rights legislation

The arrival of the 2008 legislative session means the return of legislation aimed at affirming and protecting student free expression, as the Coalition for Responsible Student Expression and Sen. Joe McDermott (D - Seattle, pictured right) announced the introduction of Senate Bill 6449.

The bill is nearly identical to the one that was passed by the House of Representatives last year, HB 1307, before high schools were stripped from the bill in committee in the Senate.

“Gaining experience in real life journalism is an important part of the learning process,” McDermott said. “This puts students that much closer to success in their professional careers.”

Supporting the bill is the Coalition for Responsible Student Expression, made up of 16 organizations, including WJEA, and the sponsor of HB 1307, Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D - Des Moines).

“I worry about a generation growing up without an appreciation of their constitutional rights and how to exercise those rights and responsibilities,” Upthegrove said. “One of the best ways to develop an appreciation of constitutional rights is to model and apply those constitutional freedoms in the school environment. This is why I introduced legislation last year, and why I will be supporting Sen. McDermott’s bill this year.”

Also sponsoring the bill are senators Adam Kline and Brian Weinstein -- both vocal supporters of the bill last year as members of the judiciary committee -- and senators Ed Murray and Jean Kohl-Welles.

Related links:

• Student free-expression bill resubmitted in Wash. Senate (SPLC)
• Washington state Senate to reintroduce student expression bill (J-Ideas)
• SB 6449 Home Page
• SB 6449
  

Mission statement of Coalition for Responsible Student Expression

Here is the full text of the mission statement of the Coalition for Responsible Student Expression. The coalition is supporting the passage of Senate Bill 6449, the senate incarnation of a student free expression bill:

"The Washington Coalition for Responsible Student Expression believes that student journalists should strive for accuracy, fairness and balance in order to achieve and maintain credibility and to bring to the public, as Walter Lippmann said, “a view of reality upon which the citizen can act.”

"Student journalists also must be responsible to the laws that govern the press – such as libel, invasion of privacy, copyright infringement and obscenity – and should strive to maintain the highest standards of journalistic ethics. Also, their work must not materially and substantially disrupt the school day.

"At the same time, student journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know, and they should be accountable to their readers, listeners, or viewers.

"A free student press reflects the intellectual health of a vibrant, dynamic school. It helps create a respect for diversity, provides a voice for students, and establishes a link between students and school officials.

"This coalition of concerned organizations and individuals support the First Amendment rights of student journalists and a strong, robust student press, not only in Washington state but across the nation."

Members of the coalition:

• Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington
• American Civil Liberties Union of Washington
• Association for Women in Communications – Seattle Professional Chapter
• Dow Jones Newspaper Fund
• J-Ideas
• Journalism Education Association
• Kent State University Center for Scholastic Journalism
• Poynter Institute for Media Studies
• Society of Professional Journalists – Western Washington Professional Chapter
• Student Press Law Center
• University of Washington – Department of Communication
• Washington Community College Journalism Association
• Washington Journalism Education Association
• Washington News Council
• Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
• Washington Student Lobby
  

College-only bill dies on state senate calendar

What was left of House Bill 1307, the Student Free Press Bill, died on Friday when the Senate failed to schedule the measure for a vote. The college-only measure had been on the calendar for a week.

Bill author Brian Schraum has pledged to continue to fight for legislation that includes protection for both high school and college students.

"There will be a next time. When this legislation comes back in the near
future, I hope all of you will continue the good fight."

The fight continues: Seattle P-I supports high schools

Even as House Bill 1307 moves on with protection for only colleges, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has come out against the senators who chose to strip high school students from the bill:

To learn about fulfilling democratic responsibilities, students need freedom, including the ability to make mistakes. Passing protections for college students should help lawmakers see the groundlessness of their concerns about ensuring high school students' rights and responsibilities.

You can read the entire editorial here.

Statement from WJEA President Kathy Schrier

The following is a statement from WJEA President Kathy Schrier. She was the recipient of the Fern Valentine Freedom of Expression Award at the WJEA state conference on March 10 for her exemplary effort in coordinating the high school support of the bill.

Hello everyone,

In case you hadn't heard, today the Washington state Senate Judiciary Committee killed the high school portion of Bill 1307. All language pertaining to high schools was removed, and it now moves forward as a college only bill.

Of course, this is a huge blow to all of us who worked so hard to promote this legislation that was to have been a shining light for other states to follow. In fact, even with our defeat today, Oregon and Michigan have similar bills that are now going through the legislative process.

We have learned that school administrators in our state are interested in suppressing student voices by controlling what can and can't be expressed in school media. This, I find to be not just sad, but frightening. WJEA will continue to fight for student voices and for student-run media in every public high school.

We must remember that rights were not lost because of what happened today; they will continue to be what they were before the legislation was introduced. The state constitution still says students have free speech. Administrators still have some restrictions on what they can censor. Unfortunately, because of what didn't happen today, the language of the law is still vague and it is likely that students may have to fight even harder to maintain their rights within their school walls.

Rep. Dave Upthegrove and Brian Schraum are heroes in my book. They started a wave that is spreading to other states and a dialogue that will go on long after this legislative session ends. And the amazing Fern Valentine has championed this cause for many years and I know won't give up now. Vince DeMiero, too, has used his gift with words to articulate this cause with intense passion. Jeff Nusser created a fabulous blogspot and, despite sleepless nights with a new baby, found time to post all the latest news on HB1307.

The students who travelled to Olympia and who spoke with such conviction were an inspiration and are the reason we needed this bill to pass. And last but not least, the folks at J-Ideas, especially Angela Thomas, who flew to the northwest twice to be with us in Olympia at the most critical times -- THANK YOU for believing so strongly in this bill and for devoting so much time and website space to this cause.

I would also like to thank Rachel Smith, Rep. Upthegrove's fabulous assistant, who not only kept us all posted on the latest news but became a good friend to our cause along the way.

And how could I possibly not mention Mike Hiestand! He's right up there on the hero pedestal with Dave and Brian. His knowledge of the law and his ability to articulate it so well gave us confidence and strength all along the way. THANK YOU so much, Mike. We're so glad you are now a Washingtonian!

Sincerely,
Kathy Schrier
President, WJEA

Statement from Rep. Upthegrove

Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D-Des Moines) was the primary sponsor of HB 1307. He proved to be a great champion of free student press rights in the legislature, and worked hard until the very end to keep high schools a part of the bill. Here is his statement.

Friends,

As you may know by now, the Senate Judiciary Committee amended the student free press bill (HB 1307) to remove high school students from the bill. The provisions of the bill now only apply to public colleges and universities. The bill then passed out of the committee on a party-line vote, with all of the Democrats supporting the bill and all of the Republicans opposing the bill.

In order to secure the votes on the committee, I had to agree to not try to add high school students back into the bill later in the process.

Even though the bill now only applies to college student media, it still faces a rocky road in the Senate. It still needs to make it out of the Senate Rules Committee, and then we will need to secure support from a majority of the Senators, and then the Majority Leader needs to agree to place it on the floor calendar for a vote, and then the Governor will need to not veto it. Your continued support and communication with Senators would be appreciated.

For those of you most interested in the high school portion of the bill, I encourage you to continue to stand up for your college counterparts. Not every college in Washington has a policy in place to fully ensure that their student paper is, indeed, treated as a public forum. Conflicting federal district court cases have created more uncertainty for college journalists. I also believe that passage of the college portion will build support and momentum for addressing high school student media in the future.

Like many of you, I became emotionally attached to this issue and thisbill. I know how disappointed and frustrated you are because I am too. The legislative process takes patience and persistence. So while it's OK to be sad about this, I ask you to also have patience and persistence. We all need to continue to champion the cause of student press freedom. You can count on my continued support.

I want to pass along my appreciation and thanks to Brian Schraum, who brought the idea for the bill forward and served as an eloquent spokesperson for the bill in the media around the country and on several public forums. He inspired me to introduce the bill and also inspired my passion for the issue. I also want to thank Mike Hiestand from the Student Press Law Center, who not only provided great legal analysis, but also proved to be a gifted communicator who was able to take complex issues and boil them down into arguments and language that even legislators could understand.

Finally, I was blown away by the tremendous support shown by student journalists and their allies from every corner of the State of Washington. The public hearing on the bill in the House Judiciary Committee was one of the finest moments of the 2007 legislative session. I can't express my appreciation enough to everyone who took the time to travel to Olympia for the hearings or who contacted their legislator.

Please know that YOU educated and inspired legislators to become champions of the issue. You inspired legislators like Rep. Pat Lantz (D-Gig Harbor), Sen. Adam Kline (D-Seattle), Sen. Brian Weinstein (D-Mercer Island), Rep. Brendan Williams (D-Olympia), and Rep. Lynn Kessler (D-Hoquiam). These legislators deserve your thanks and appreciation for their active support and assistance with the bill.

Lets get the college portion passed into law and then recommit ourselves to continuing to "finish the job" in a future legislative session.

Thanks again,

Dave

Dave Upthegrove
State Representative
33rd District
Chair, Select Committee on Puget Sound

Statement from Brian Schraum

Washington State University student Brian Schraum was the instigator of the legislation last summer. He has been a tireless champion on behalf of this bill. Here is is heartfelt letter after today's difficult news.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This afternoon the Senate Judiciary Committee took executive action on House Bill 1307, designed to protect high school and college student journalists from censorship. After a long, hard battle in the House of Representatives, this important bill stonewalled in the Senate. It became apparent this morning that the legislation would not pass out of the Judiciary Committee as written. In a final effort to save the bill, an amendment was drafted and moved by Senator Rodney Tom which strikes all sections concerning public high schools.

The amended bill, applying only to public colleges, was passed out of the committee by a strong majority. In addition, an agreement was made that the high school portion of the bill would not be added back in at a later time.

I wanted to take this opportunity to express my extreme disappointment with today’s vote. No one – no one – fought harder for this than the high school students and advisers in our state. Your courage and your determination are admirable. Know that your hard work was not for nothing; even today, the great states of Oregon and Michigan continue their fight for a free high school press. I hope you will agree that they deserve our optimistic support.

The blame for this outcome, in my mind, is three-fold. First, the school administrators in our state launched a pointed, intense, and highly effective lobbying campaign against this legislation. They used scare tactics, they used relationships with legislators, and I fully believe they used phony, misleading information in their war against HB 1307.

No one deserves more credit for killing this bill than the Association of Washington School Principals and the Washington Association of School Administrators.

Secondly, elements of the professional press share a part of the blame. Several newspapers, most notably the Seattle Times, editorialized against HB 1307. While I expected the paid administrator lobbyists to work actively against us, I really did expect better from the Times. I never thought I’d see the day when government censors and professional journalists would join hands against a free press – but the Seattle Times has exceeded my expectations.

Perhaps the greatest, scariest lesson I have learned from this process is not about the student press. It’s about the professional press, and the sad state of affairs this country is in when not even journalists will stand up for the First Amendment. Throughout this fight, I have never felt prouder of being a young person. But I have also, without question, never felt more ashamed to be a journalist. The failure of some in the press to realize how high school student newspapers actually function, to appreciate the role they play, disturbs me greatly. And it gives me great pause as someone weighing a future career in this industry.

It would be unfair, however, not to credit those many professional journalists who supported us all the way. The Seattle P-I, The News Tribune, USA Today, and the Spokesman-Review deserve a very special and heartfelt thanks. Their willingness to go to bat for students, and their refusal to accept the quick and easy “principal-as-publisher” logic gives me hope.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I take a great deal of personal responsibility for today’s outcome. I accept no credit for the creation and progress of HB 1307 – that goes to the great many supporters, students, educators, and lawmakers who believed so strongly in what this bill was all about. However, I felt very passionately when this idea started brewing that high school students should be included in the bill. I heard criticism from both high schools and colleges that including younger students in the bill would be disastrous. But I believed then, as I do now, that free speech and a free press have no age limit or maturity clause.

Some told me that high schools would simply be cut out in favor of passing the college portion. Today, you were proven right. Maybe I was wrong from the beginning. But it seems clear to me that a high school-only bill would have died long before it reached this point. Nevertheless, the responsibility for getting your hopes up, for encouraging optimism, and for the great disappointment you must now feel – that rests with me and me alone.

To my friends at the college level – I look forward to joining you at the bill signing. We will set an important precedent for states across the country that censoring college students is not effective and it is not right. But it will be a bittersweet day.

For those many of you at the high school level who I’m sure are disheartened – I echo the words of Senator Adam Kline in hoping that at some future day, in some future legislature, we will complete the mission that was intended for this bill.

Take comfort in knowing that other states are now energized and working to further this cause. People across the nation are continuing to have important conversations about the student press and expression rights in our schools, often in the context of HB 1307. Sometimes it’s the little victories that matter most.

Finally, a quick thank you to the people I have met and the friends I have made throughout this process – you are among the finest people I have ever known.

Rep. Dave Upthegrove deserves our eternal gratitude. I met him by chance, but I know now that we could never have found a better person to champion free expression in Washington state. For the many hours and the enormous political capital he had to spend on this bill, we owe him a lot. Rachel Smith, Dave’s assistant, was absolutely amazing from the very beginning – I’m sure we all wore down her patience with our constant barrage of requests for updates. She coordinated everything, and without her, I’d still be sitting in an ice cream shop waiting to talk with Dave.

Kathy Schrier, Fern Valentine, Vince DeMiero, Jeff Nusser, Logan Aimone and EVERYONE at WJEA – you made this possible. You carried the torch higher and brighter than anyone could have hoped. You invested your time and you invested a big part of yourselves in this legislation. I know you will continue this fight long after 1307 is off the radar screen. Thank you a million times over.

Mike Hiestand at SPLC is probably the most brilliant First Amendment advocate I’ve ever met. We are so fortunate to have him here in Washington. I have no doubt that without his expertise and passion on this issue, we would have never gathered the legislative support that we did. Thank you for answering our endless questions and for driving endless hours to meet, talk and testify. Mark Goodman, I know, was with us strongly from “the other Washington.” Your organization is keeping the student press alive, and I wish you continued success.

Angela Thomas, Warren Watson, and everyone with J-IDEAS at Ball State – I never could have imagined so much support coming from halfway across the country. You are the future of this public policy battle. You did so much, whether it was flying me cross-country to have the privilege of discussing this with First Amendment leaders, or Angela flying out here – not once but twice! – for our committee hearings. I am speechless. Thank you!

I’d be forgetting a huge component of this if I didn’t thank Victor Wallace and John Knowlton for being amazing journalism advisers. You taught me what it means to be a journalist. You changed my life for the better, and those experiences kept me going and believing.

Most importantly, my gratitude goes to the countless students who were behind this from the very beginning. I was consistently blown away by your show of support at the committee hearings – this was always about you, and it was always your fight. We may have lost this brief battle, but we will win the war on censorship. I’m proud to call you my peers, my colleagues and my friends. Please, please keep in touch.

I’ve left out countless other people – so let me send out a blanket THANK YOU to everyone who sent letters, called, e-mailed, drove, or even just kept up on this issue. This was a grassroots effort from the start.

As for me, I’m disappointed but I’m not regretful. I’m not giving up either. Wherever I should end up, this is an issue that will remain important to me always. I hope I can continue to work with the great free speech advocates both in our state and across the country, in ensuring that the rights we cherish do not stop at the schoolhouse gate.

I know in my gut that one day we will return to those same steps in Olympia, and the outcome will be different. But until that day, never forget what we started here.

Thank you all.

Best always,

Brian Schraum

Reaction to HB 1307 forthcoming

While I've been away from my computer, a number of the major players who worked to get HB 1307 passed have issued statements. I'll be posting those here shortly.

The theme of most of them? This is a tough day -- a sad day -- but we need to keep fighting. There will continue to be things that we all can do in Washington to fight unjust censorship of student media.

In the meantime, you are encouraged to continue to support the college only version of the bill. Those journalists need this protection, as well, and would do well to get our support on this issue.

Committee strikes high schools from HB 1307

The Senate Judiciary Committee has just passed an amendment to strike high school publications from House Bill 1307.

While it was difficult to tell who was speaking at various times -- and my streaming was suspect, at best -- the arguments used by those opposing high school publications' inclusion were much the same as they have been throughout the process.

We'll have more information for you as it becomes available on what this means for the future of legislation related to a free high school press, where supporters of the bill can go from here, etc.

Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in executive session NOW; HB 1307 appears to be on agenda

House Bill 1307 has been brought up in the executive session of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which you can listen to live here. Rep. Upthegrove has written an amendment, although what the amendment contains is unclear at this point.

The committee will be revisiting HB 1307 shortly, it seems.

Spokesman-Review endorses HB 1307 again;Vote on bill must come today

The Senate Judiciary Committee has until the end of its session today to vote on House Bill 1307, the Student Free Press Bill, or it dies for this year.

You can listen live to the session at TVW. The committee convenes today at noon, or whenever floor action ends this morning, whichever is sooner.

In the meantime, the (Spokane) Spokesman-Review has published a second editorial in support of the bill, which you can find here.

Another example of press restriction, this time in Indiana

As we await word on the fate of House Bill 1307, the Student Free Press Bill, it's worth noting one of the more egregious examples of abuse of principal power in recent memory -- one that continues to have fallout more than a month after it happened.

It all started with an editorial at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School in Woodburn, Ind., that called for tolerance towards gays and lesbians. The principal said the material was not suitable for some members of the school (which serves grades 7-12), and after publication of the paper instituted a policy of absolute prior review, where he would review everything before it went to press.

Additionally, he sent a letter of reprimand to the adviser, who he says was supposed to bring any articles to him that might potentially be controversial before the paper goes to press. She since has been put on paid leave by the school board, which strangely also refuses to hear any public commentary on any aspect of the issue.

Some experts have weighed in, saying the principal was well within his Hazelwood rights to do what he did. It's worth noting that under House Bill 1307, none of this could happen to either the students or the adviser.

Here are some of the opinion pieces that have come out in the wake of this whole mess. In the interest of balance, I would include a piece defending the principal -- but I can't find any.

• "Tolerating student views"
• "Student journalism should teach civics, not censorhip"
• "Censorship easy way out for schools"
• "... and principal could do much better"