Student Press Law Assignment (Part 2)

Student Press Law Part II

Assignment/Activity Title— Student Press Law Assignment (Part 2)

Year— Sophomore

Skill— Research; Writing

Portfolio Category— Critical Reasoning          

For this project, we had to find an issue in a public (or private school) regarding first amendment rights being violated. We were given 12 categories, including ones like 'suspensions resulting in off-school behavior' and 'dress codes,' and asked to look on the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) website to find a recent case. Additionally, we were supposed to pick a public school if we could find one, since private school operate under different rules than public ones.

 

On the SPLC website, I found a case that looked interesting from Otterbein College, a private university in Ohio. According to the article, a staff writer had gone to the campus police department to obtain police arrest records, but was denied by the officers present. Returning to the editor-in-chief of the campus' student run online newspaper, Otterbein360, she was told that it is the right of the public to access records. Otterbein360 decided to pursue the case, and brought the issue to the Ohio Supreme Court – where it remains currently undecided.

            During this project, we had to create a summary sheet covering some key points – federal law, school board policy, and the explanation of the legal framework (and any applicable state laws). Because my chosen case occurred at a private school, I had a little more research to do than my peers. I found the university website, but couldn't find school policy guidelines anywhere.

            Finally, I opened a page entitled 'Campus Police.' On this page, somewhat obscurely published, was the school policy for public records and other issues. With this new information, I looked up Ohio law, and found the Ohio Public Records Act to be the main issue in this case. This law states that all records and information from schools in Ohio should be open to the public.

            Finally, I discovered that there is already a push to create Ohio state legislation to make this issue even clearer; legislation that would require all schools (even private ones like Otterbein) to create complete police transparency.

            Throughout this project, I honed and utilized my research skills, accessing multiple federal and state websites (as well as the Otterbein360 Facebook page) to gather knowledge on this issue.