Stop MCPS from Censoring Student Journalists
Stop MCPS from Censoring Student Journalists
The Issue
Montgomery County community members,
We're asking you to stand with student journalists and educators across Montgomery County and demand that MCPS—America's 16th largest school district containing nearly 160,000 students—withdraw a dangerous memo that threatens the free press rights of journalists at all 25 of our high schools.
On March 19, 2026, MCPS Chief of Schools Dr. Peter Moran circulated a memo requiring school administrators to review and approve every single article published by student newspapers before it goes to print. This blanket censorship policy gives principals the power to edit and kill stories, even when those stories are about the administrators themselves.
On June 12, 2026, 162 student journalists and newspaper advisers from all 25 MCPS high schools sent an open letter to MCPS leadership demanding answers and questioning the legality of the policy. They are calling for MCPS to immediately return to the prior Board-approved policy concerning student expression that protects student press freedom in full compliance with Maryland law.
The Washington Post covered their call to action.
Major free speech organizations, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the Student Press Law Center, have supported the students' concerns.
The problem? The memo likely violates Maryland's New Voices Act, passed in 2016 to protect student press freedom. And it's happening right here in Montgomery County, just miles from Washington, D.C., the heart of American democracy.
The memo instructs administrators to censor "embarrassing or private moments,” “ridicule of individuals or groups,” and “sarcasm or teasing that could be interpreted as bullying.” This gives principals a blank check to kill legitimate journalism. A critical opinion piece about school leadership and a writer using his column to spread gossip about another student are very different—yet both could be censored under “ridicule of individuals or groups.”
Want the complete details? Read the student journalists' open letter at the Student Press Law Center: https://splc.org/2026/06/maryland-students-call-for-withdrawal-of-prior-review-memo/
The letter fully breaks down Maryland's New Voices Act and explains exactly why MCPS' memo is inconsistent with the law.
For two months, journalism teachers have been privately asking MCPS for answers. They're still waiting.
Please sign this petition to demand that MCPS immediately withdraw the March 19 memo and return to Board-approved policy that protects student press freedom while respecting legitimate school concerns.
Student journalists deserve the legal protections Maryland law guarantees them. Our communities deserves unbiased reporting on the school policy decisions that affect thousands of families.
Add your name. Stand with our students. Protect press freedom in Montgomery County.
Supported by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Student Press Law Center, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Quill & Scroll, Associated Collegiate Press, Maryland-D.C. Scholastic Press Association, and Tom Rosenstiel (Co-author of Elements of Journalism and professor at UMD)
Additional press coverage:
WTOP
560
The Issue
Montgomery County community members,
We're asking you to stand with student journalists and educators across Montgomery County and demand that MCPS—America's 16th largest school district containing nearly 160,000 students—withdraw a dangerous memo that threatens the free press rights of journalists at all 25 of our high schools.
On March 19, 2026, MCPS Chief of Schools Dr. Peter Moran circulated a memo requiring school administrators to review and approve every single article published by student newspapers before it goes to print. This blanket censorship policy gives principals the power to edit and kill stories, even when those stories are about the administrators themselves.
On June 12, 2026, 162 student journalists and newspaper advisers from all 25 MCPS high schools sent an open letter to MCPS leadership demanding answers and questioning the legality of the policy. They are calling for MCPS to immediately return to the prior Board-approved policy concerning student expression that protects student press freedom in full compliance with Maryland law.
The Washington Post covered their call to action.
Major free speech organizations, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the Student Press Law Center, have supported the students' concerns.
The problem? The memo likely violates Maryland's New Voices Act, passed in 2016 to protect student press freedom. And it's happening right here in Montgomery County, just miles from Washington, D.C., the heart of American democracy.
The memo instructs administrators to censor "embarrassing or private moments,” “ridicule of individuals or groups,” and “sarcasm or teasing that could be interpreted as bullying.” This gives principals a blank check to kill legitimate journalism. A critical opinion piece about school leadership and a writer using his column to spread gossip about another student are very different—yet both could be censored under “ridicule of individuals or groups.”
Want the complete details? Read the student journalists' open letter at the Student Press Law Center: https://splc.org/2026/06/maryland-students-call-for-withdrawal-of-prior-review-memo/
The letter fully breaks down Maryland's New Voices Act and explains exactly why MCPS' memo is inconsistent with the law.
For two months, journalism teachers have been privately asking MCPS for answers. They're still waiting.
Please sign this petition to demand that MCPS immediately withdraw the March 19 memo and return to Board-approved policy that protects student press freedom while respecting legitimate school concerns.
Student journalists deserve the legal protections Maryland law guarantees them. Our communities deserves unbiased reporting on the school policy decisions that affect thousands of families.
Add your name. Stand with our students. Protect press freedom in Montgomery County.
Supported by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Student Press Law Center, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Quill & Scroll, Associated Collegiate Press, Maryland-D.C. Scholastic Press Association, and Tom Rosenstiel (Co-author of Elements of Journalism and professor at UMD)
Additional press coverage:
WTOP
560
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Petition created on June 12, 2026