Kuhlmeier

Kuhlmeier refers to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, decided in 1988. The case concerned the extent of First Amendment rights in public school settings, specifically regarding student speech. The Supreme Court ruled that public school officials may exercise editorial control over the contents of student-produced publications, such as school newspapers, so long as the deletions or censorship are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns.

The case originated when the principal of Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis County, Missouri, removed two articles from the school newspaper that he deemed inappropriate. The articles discussed teenage pregnancy and the impact of divorce on children. Students involved in the newspaper sued the school district, alleging a violation of their First Amendment rights.

The Supreme Court's decision distinguished between student speech in school-sponsored publications and other forms of student expression. It held that school-sponsored newspapers are part of the school's curriculum and therefore subject to greater administrative control than speech that occurs outside of school or in a less integrated fashion. This ruling has been interpreted as granting school administrators broad authority to regulate student speech in school-sponsored activities, provided there is a valid educational justification.