Simsbury school administrators said that in the Coach Grace case, they were preventing the students from publishing unconfirmed rumors. Grace has denied the allegations, and the school district said it investigated the charges and found them without merit. The bill, a version of which has passed the legislature's education committee, calls for each school district to adopt a freedom of expression code that prevents student censorship unless the material is deemed libelous or slanderous. Simsbury officials said they were concerned about libel and slander when the students asked to write about the football coach. Legislators expect more revisions before some version of the bill is passed this session.
Students say administrators often restrict what they can write in student publications.
He said his school has often denied students the ability to write about what they wanted. He said the paper's last issue was canceled because the adviser quit after the message appeared in the paper. He said the school newspaper will continue publishing again once a new adviser is found. Clemons said she has rewritten the bill several times to satisfy concerns about students printing threats. She said the bill has faced criticism from school administration and board of education groups who say school districts need the authority to monitor the content of student publications.