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The Student Press Law Center voiced concern Monday that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling denying the First Amendment claims of a high school blogger is a setback for the rights of student journalists everywhere. The New York appeals court ruled 3-0 that school administrators did not violate "clearly established" First Amendment precedent, either when they disciplined Avery Doninger for her off-campus blog or when they punished her and her classmates for wearing "Team Avery" T-shirts at a school "The ruling is worrisome in several respects. What Avery Doninger was doing was not terribly different from what an editorial commentator might do - trying to arouse the public to call and email the school to express an opinion about a disputed policy decision. It's troubling that the Second Circuit is willing to entertain the possibility that inciting citizens to contact their public officials is unprotected by the First Amendment if the issue is so controversial that people feel strongly about it, which is the takeaway from this decision," LoMonte said. "The circuit has indicated, in essence, that it's safe for students to engage in discussion about issues that nobody cares about, but if the issues raise strong emotions, then the students' involvement might be considered 'disruptive.'"  "It's clear that the federal courts have abdicated their responsibility to protect the basic human rights of vulnerable young people, and so young people are going to have to organize and mobilize like never before to petition their legislators and members of Congress for better statutory protection," LoMonte said. "This ruling is a wake-up call to every student in America that their rights are in peril and that they cannot depend on the federal courts to police even the clearest disciplinary overreactions."

"An 8-year-old third grader who came to school wearing a No. 18 Broncos jersey was sent home to change this week because the number on the jersey violates a gang apparel ban in the district, which is located about an hour north of Denver."

"A northern New Jersey school district's code of conduct that extended to off-campus behavior was struck down today by an appeals court that said the policy exceeded the authority given to local districts by the state. The case stemmed from a policy instituted in 2009 by the Ramapo Indian Hills School District in Bergen County. It sought to ban students from extracurricular activities if they were charged with illegal activities, regardless of whether the alleged behavior occurred on school grounds."

School districts around the state are considering disciplining students for their off-campus transgressions, even though such a policy may spark lawsuits from parents and free-speech advocates. A similar off-campus policy at a Bergen County school is being debated in the New Jersey courts. High schools around the country have had to deal with these incidents for decades, but social network sites are making it easier for school officials to nab teenage culprits.

"Pennsylvania students Brianna Hawk and Kayla Martinez won't have to worry about removing their "I ♥ boobies! (KEEP A BREAST)" bracelets anytime soon, as the nation's highest court declined to hear their school district's latest appeal to ban the accessories. The United States Supreme Court announced Monday that it would not take up Easton Area School District's appeal in the case, putting the issue to rest after more than three years. The school district filed its appeal to the Supreme Court in October after district and federal circuit courts ruled against its favor."

"Here, Mr. LoMonte reviews students' First Amendment rights and what student journalists can do to lessen the chances that school administrators will try to restrict their publications."

"Four key U.S. Supreme Court decisions define student free expressions rights a school administrator should understand:"

"The suit was eventually settled out of court, but the issue hasn't gone away, said Courtney Bowie, a senior staff attorney with the Racial Justice Program of the New York City-based civil-liberties advocacy group. "At the time, the case law wasn't quite as clear as it is today as to whether it is permissible for a school district to search the entire contents of a student's cell phone," Bowie said an in an interview. "In 2010, smartphones that could basically hold all the power and information of a computer were still a new thing, and [this issue] hadn't really been fleshed out in the courts yet." "