The Status of Student Press Freedom in Nebraska’s High Schools

Have student rights to a free press advanced during the period since certain free expression rights of high school students were established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1969? Are students censored in what they print in their high school newspapers? And if they are, who is doing the censoring – principals, advisers or the student themselves? In an attempt to examine these questions, the author undertook a study of student press rights in Nebraska’s high schools. Previous cases and literature on the topic were studied and a survey was taken of Nebraska high school principals and high school press advisors to determine their attitudes toward the rights of the student press. The results of that study are reported in this thesis. Advisor: Jim Patte