Missouri 2025 Regular Session

Missouri Senate Bill SB258 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	FIRST REGULAR SESSION
3	3	SENATE BILL NO. 258
4	4	103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
5	5	INTRODUCED BY SENATOR WASHINGTON.
6	6	0824S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
7	7	AN ACT
8	8	To amend chapters 171 and 173, RSMo, by adding thereto two new sections relating to student
9	9	journalists.
10	10
11	11	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
12	12	Section A. Chapters 171 and 173, RSMo, are amended by 1
13	13	adding thereto two new sections, to be known as sections 171.200 2
14	14	and 173.1551, to read as follows:3
15	15	171.200. 1. This section and section 173.1551 shall 1
16	16	be known and may be cited as the "Cronkite New Voices Act". 2
17	17	2. As used in this section, the following terms mean: 3
18	18	(1) "School-sponsored media", any material that is 4
19	19	prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcast by 5
20	20	a student journalist at a public high school; distributed or 6
21	21	generally made available to members of the student bo dy; and 7
22	22	prepared under the direction of a student -media advisor. 8
23	23	"School-sponsored media" does not include any media intended 9
24	24	for distribution or transmission solely in the classroom in 10
25	25	which the media is produced; 11
26	26	(2) "Student journalist", a pu blic high school student 12
27	27	who gathers, compiles, writes, edits, photographs, records, 13
28	28	produces, or prepares content for dissemination in school - 14
29	29	sponsored media; 15
30	30	(3) "Student-media advisor", an individual employed, 16
31	31	appointed, or designated by a sch ool district to supervise 17
32	32	or provide instruction relating to school -sponsored media. 18 SB 258 2
33	33	3. Subject to the provisions of this section, the 19
34	34	freedom of the press in school -sponsored media shall be 20
35	35	protected. A student journalist has the right to exerci se 21
36	36	freedom of speech and of the press in school -sponsored 22
37	37	media. Material in school-sponsored media shall not be 23
38	38	suppressed solely because it involves political or 24
39	39	controversial subject matter. 25
40	40	4. School districts and student -media advisors may 26
41	41	regulate the number, length, frequency, and format of school - 27
42	42	sponsored media. Review of material prepared for school - 28
43	43	sponsored media and encouragement of the expression of such 29
44	44	material in a manner that is consistent with professional 30
45	45	standards of English and journalism shall not be deemed to 31
46	46	be or construed as an abridgement of the right to freedom of 32
47	47	expression in school -sponsored media or a restraint on 33
48	48	publication of the material therein. 34
49	49	5. A school district shall not authorize any prior 35
50	50	restraint of any school -sponsored media except if the 36
51	51	administration or student -media advisor reasonably 37
52	52	determines or anticipates that the media: 38
53	53	(1) Is libelous or slanderous; 39
54	54	(2) Constitutes an invasion of privacy; 40
55	55	(3) Violates federal or state law; 41
56	56	(4) Is a threat of violence; 42
57	57	(5) Advertises a product or service that is illegal or 43
58	58	is not permitted to be sold to minors by law; 44
59	59	(6) Violates the rights of others; 45
60	60	(7) Is likely to incite students to commit an u nlawful 46
61	61	act or to violate school district policy or procedure; or 47
62	62	(8) Is likely to materially and substantially disrupt 48
63	63	or interfere with the orderly operation of the school. 49 SB 258 3
64	64	6. Subject to the limitations imposed by this section, 50
65	65	student journalists are responsible for determining the 51
66	66	news, opinion, and advertising content of school -sponsored 52
67	67	media. Student-media advisors are responsible for teaching 53
68	68	and encouraging free and responsible expression of material 54
69	69	and professional standards o f English and journalism. No 55
70	70	student-media advisor shall be disciplined, terminated from 56
71	71	employment, transferred, or relieved of duties imposed under 57
72	72	this subsection for refusal to abridge or infringe upon the 58
73	73	right to freedom of expression conferred by this section. 59
74	74	7. No publication or other expression of matter by 60
75	75	students in the exercise of rights under this section shall 61
76	76	be deemed to be an expression of a school district's 62
77	77	policy. No school district, member of the board of 63
78	78	education, student-media advisor, or employee of a school 64
79	79	district shall be held liable in any civil or criminal 65
80	80	action for any publication or other expression of matter by 66
81	81	student journalists in the exercise of rights under this 67
82	82	section except to the extent that s uch persons or entities 68
83	83	actively participated in the conduct that is the subject of 69
84	84	the civil or criminal action or knew of the conduct and 70
85	85	failed to take timely action to prevent or withdraw such 71
86	86	publication or expression that is the subject of the ci vil 72
87	87	or criminal action. A student journalist who has attained 73
88	88	the age of majority may be held liable in any civil or 74
89	89	criminal action for material expressed in student 75
90	90	publications to the extent of such student journalist’s 76
91	91	responsibility for and invo lvement in the preparation and 77
92	92	publication of such matter. 78
93	93	8. Each school district shall adopt a written policy 79
94	94	regarding the freedom of the press and expression by 80
95	95	students in accordance with this section. The policy shall 81 SB 258 4
96	96	include reasonable pr ovisions for the time, place, and 82
97	97	manner of student expression. The policy may also include 83
98	98	limitations regarding language that may be defined as 84
99	99	vulgar, obscene, offensively lewd, profane, harassing, 85
100	100	threatening, or intimidating. 86
101	101	173.1551. 1. As used in this section, the following 1
102	102	terms mean: 2
103	103	(1) "School-sponsored media", any material that is 3
104	104	prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcast by 4
105	105	a student journalist at a public institution of higher 5
106	106	education in this state; distributed or generally made 6
107	107	available to members of the student body; and prepared under 7
108	108	the direction of a student -media advisor. "School-sponsored 8
109	109	media" does not include any media intended for distribution 9
110	110	or transmission solely in the classroom in which the media 10
111	111	is produced; 11
112	112	(2) "Student journalist", a student of a public 12
113	113	institution of higher education who gathers, compiles, 13
114	114	writes, edits, photographs, records, produces, or prepares 14
115	115	content for dissemination in school -sponsored media; 15
116	116	(3) "Student-media advisor", an individual employed, 16
117	117	appointed, or designated by a public institution of higher 17
118	118	education in this state to supervise or provide instruction 18
119	119	relating to school-sponsored media. 19
120	120	2. Subject to the provisions of this section, the 20
121	121	freedom of the press in school -sponsored media shall be 21
122	122	protected. A student journalist has the right to exercise 22
123	123	freedom of speech and of the press in school -sponsored 23
124	124	media. Material in school-sponsored media shall not b e 24
125	125	suppressed solely because it involves political or 25
126	126	controversial subject matter. 26 SB 258 5
127	127	3. Subject to subsection 4 of this section, a student 27
128	128	journalist is responsible for determining the news, opinion, 28
129	129	feature, and advertising content of school -sponsored media. 29
130	130	This subsection shall not be construed to prevent a student - 30
131	131	media advisor from teaching professional standards of 31
132	132	English and journalism to student journalists. 32
133	133	4. This section does not authorize or protect 33
134	134	expression by a student th at: 34
135	135	(1) Is libelous or slanderous; 35
136	136	(2) Constitutes an invasion of privacy; 36
137	137	(3) Violates federal or state law; 37
138	138	(4) Is likely to incite students to commit an unlawful 38
139	139	act or to violate institution policy or procedure; or 39
140	140	(5) Is likely to materially and substantially disrupt 40
141	141	or interfere with the orderly operation of the institution. 41
142	142	5. Except as provided in subsection 4 of this section, 42
143	143	a student journalist at a public institution of higher 43
144	144	education in this state shall not be disciplined for 44
145	145	exercising such student journalist's freedom of expression 45
146	146	in school-sponsored media. 46
147	147	6. A student-media advisor at a public institution of 47
148	148	higher education in this state shall not be dismissed, 48
149	149	suspended, disciplined, rea ssigned, transferred, or 49
150	150	otherwise retaliated against for protecting or refusing to 50
151	151	infringe on the rights of student journalists outlined in 51
152	152	this section. 52
153	153	7. No publication or other expression of matter by 53
154	154	students in the exercise of rights unde r this section shall 54
155	155	be deemed to be an expression of an institution's policy. 55
156	156	No public institution of higher education or member of the 56
157	157	institution's governing body or employee thereof shall be 57
158	158	held liable in any civil or criminal action for any 58 SB 258 6
159	159	publication or other expression of matter by student 59
160	160	journalists in the exercise of rights under this section 60
161	161	except to the extent that such persons or entities actively 61
162	162	participated in the conduct that is the subject of the civil 62
163	163	or criminal action. 63
164	164	