Update to Calif. student free expression law to reach Senate floor
CALIFORNIA – An updated version of the student free expression bill is set to take the Senate floor Monday, according to a legislative staffer.
“We’re pretty confident,” said Adam Keigwin, chief of staff to Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo).
The bill, SB 438, which if enacted will prevent attempted censorship by charter school administrators, passed the Senate’s judiciary committee in a unanimous 5-0 vote last Wednesday.
The bill, introduced by Yee, amends California Education Code Section 48907 -- the state's student free expression code -- to read "pupils of the public schools, including charter schools, shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press ..."
The legislation is a direct result of an incident at Orange County High School of the Arts, according to Keigwin, where administrators relied on ambiguities in the existing free-speech law to defend a weeklong delay in printing the student newspaper, the Evolution.
The Evolution, advised by Konnie Krislock, was postponed because of administrative reaction to two articles -- one about the school's theme of the year and one about the school's contract with a food vendor that openly espoused religious views.
“We don’t believe that any form of censorship occurred,” said Dr. Ralph Opacic, the school’s president and director. “We believe that we were acting appropriately in exercising our right to prior review.”
“In light of that differing opinion, we want to make it crystal clear that charter schools need to adhere” to this legislation, Keigwin said.
