Legal fight over school newspaper ads heads to court

A First Amendment squabble is brewing in California over high school newspaper and yearbook advertising content.

The Sacramento Bee (http://sacb.ee/S6CVGK ) says the Roseville Joint Union High School District’s decision this month to give the superintendent the right to approve ads has raised legal issues that could have broad implications districts statewide.

The school board gave the superintendent the right to prohibit political campaigning and religious symbols in ads.

Attorney Adam Goldstein of the Student Press Law Center in Virginia says students could file lawsuits claiming their free speech rights have been violated.

And advertisers could go to court complaining their right to religious speech has been quashed.

Assistant Superintendent Ron Severson says the district will re-examine the ad policy.