MCPS Student Journalists Push Back Against Memo They Say Threatens Press Freedom

Student journalists from across Montgomery County Public Schools are challenging a March memo that they say could restrict student press freedom and give school administrators broad authority to review and potentially block student reporting before publication.

Student Journalists From All 25 MCPS High Schools Send Open Letter

According to a press release shared by student journalists, 154 student journalists and 8 teacher advisers signed onto the effort, for 162 total signatures representing all 25 MCPS high schools. In total, 20 student newspapers signed on.

The open letter, sent to district leadership on Friday, June 12, demands answers and calls for the district to withdraw the memo. A coalition of journalism teachers also planned to send its own letter raising concerns about the policy.

The students argue that the memo requires school administrators to review every student publication and school-related printed material before publication, while failing to clearly align with Maryland’s New Voices student press law. Critics say the memo does not provide clear standards, timelines, appeal rights, or safeguards for student journalists.

“The March memo raises serious legal concerns because, as written, it appears to impose broad prior review without clear standards, timelines, appeal rights, or safeguards required to protect student journalists under Maryland law,” the students wrote in their letter to MCPS.

Concerns Raised Under Maryland’s New Voices Student Press Law

The issue has drawn support from free speech and student journalism organizations, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the Student Press Law Center. The Student Press Law Center has also raised concerns about whether the memo conflicts with Maryland’s student press protections.

Student journalists say they are asking MCPS to return to the previous Board-approved regulation governing student publications, which they say only allows prior restraint under the narrower grounds outlined in Maryland law.

“Student journalists are the only reporters inside the school buildings, and often the only ones who care enough to cover the local school policies that impact thousands of students and families,” said Ian Chen, a sophomore at Richard Montgomery High School and features editor of The Tide.

MCPS Memo Criticized for Broad Administrator Review Power

The concerns center not only on prior review, but also on language in the memo that students and advocates say could be interpreted broadly. According to the press release, the memo includes categories such as “ridicule of individuals or groups,” “embarrassing or private moments,” and “sarcasm or teasing that could be interpreted as bullying” as content administrators are instructed to censor.

Student journalists argue that those terms are too subjective and could apply to ordinary opinion writing, criticism, or coverage of school leadership and district decisions.

“A student using his opinion column to harass and spread unfounded gossip about the class president is very different from a student writing a sharp critique of a speech given by a Board of Education member — yet both could be considered ‘ridicule of individuals or groups,’” the student journalists wrote in their letter.

Public Petition Calls on MCPS to Stop Censoring Student Journalists

A public petition has also been launched calling on MCPS to stop censoring student journalists. As of 11 p.m. on June 16, 2026, the petition had 559 signatures.

The petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-mcps-from-censoring-student-journalists-fd94e230-b95c-440d-917b-76596895e941

Continuous updates on the students’ effort are also being published by The RM Tide, Richard Montgomery High School’s student newspaper, here: https://thermtide.com/29089/news/an-open-letter-to-mcps/

Why Student Press Freedom Matters in Montgomery County

The dispute comes as student newspapers remain some of the only outlets regularly covering school-level issues from inside MCPS buildings. Supporters of the students say administrator control over publication decisions risks turning student newspapers into public relations tools rather than independent student journalism.

“This new policy is egregious. With administrators editing stories, these critically-important student newspapers are nothing more than public relations tools for MCPS,” said James Libresco, a board member of the Student Press Law Center.

MCPS serves more than 156,000 students, making the dispute significant not just for student journalists, but also for families and community members who rely on student reporting for coverage of school policies, student life, and district decisions.

Moderately MOCO Supports Student Journalists and a Free Press

Moderately MOCO supports the student journalists, journalism advisers, and press freedom advocates calling on MCPS to withdraw the memo and reaffirm student press protections.

Student journalism plays an important role in Montgomery County. These students are often the closest reporters to the issues affecting their classmates, schools, and communities. Their work should be subject to responsible journalistic standards, but it should not be reduced to administrative approval or public relations review.

A free student press helps students learn accountability, civic participation, and responsible reporting. It also helps families and the broader community better understand what is happening inside one of the largest school systems in the country.

The full press release is included below.

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Amid the backdrop of unprecedented attacks on press freedom — including recent efforts by the White House and Pentagon to restrict news gathering — students, educators, and community members are sounding the alarm about an internal Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) memo that mandates school administrators review every single article that students produce and require edits before publication.

Today at noon, nearly 150 student journalists from all 25 high schools in MCPS sent an open letter demanding answers from the district and questioning the legality of the policy change. A coalition of journalism teachers will also sent their own letter.

Critics say the memo’s requirements amount to a dangerous and potentially unlawful crackdown on student voices at a time when civic engagement and free expression are more essential than ever. 

Free speech organizations, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the Student Press Law Center, are supporting the students, bringing into question whether the new policy amounts to unlawful censorship under Maryland’s New Voices student speech law.

“The March memo raises serious legal concerns because, as written, it appears to impose broad prior review without clear standards, timelines, appeal rights, or safeguards required to protect student journalists under Maryland law,” the students wrote in their letter to MCPS.

Student journalists are calling on MCPS to revert back to its previous Board-approved  regulation concerning student press, which allows prior restraint only in the narrow grounds described by the New Voices law.

“Student journalists are the only reporters inside the school buildings, and often the only ones who care enough to cover the local school policies that impact thousands of students and families,” said Ian Chen, a sophomore at Richard Montgomery High School and the features editor of The Tide. 

“I hope that MCPS will reaffirm its commitment to a free student press by carefully considering our requests and ultimately returning to the Board-negotiated policy,” Chen, the high school student journalist, said. 

“This new policy is egregious. With administrators editing stories, these critically-important student newspapers are nothing more than public relations tools for MCPS,” said James Libresco, a board member of the Student Press Law Center. 

“History has shown that when administrators review articles, they will inevitably edit to paint themselves and their bosses in a better light. This MCPS policy threatens legally-protected speech, just miles from the heart of American democracy in Washington,” Libresco, the SPLC board member, said.

Why It Matters:

The internal memo from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), which holds more than 156,000 students, gives school administrators sweeping authority to censor student journalism and block content from publishing. 

After the memo was released, MCPS newspaper advisers repeatedly detailed their concerns to the school district’s Central Office; for two months now, they’ve been told that they would receive a response from MCPS Chief of School Dr. Peter Moran, who originally circulated the memo on March 19. They continue to wait. 

The memo requires all schools to designate an administrator to review every single “student publication and school-related printed material,” prior to publication.

The memo doesn’t address the legal bar required by Maryland law to justify censorship — instead, it gives principals approval power over reporting about themselves and their communities. The memo sets no timeline, provides no appeals process, and subjects legally-distinct materials — such as the news articles and student-made clothing — to the same standards. 

Included in the memo is a list of content administrators are instructed to censor outright. This list includes new entries not found in prior policy such as “ridicule of individuals or groups,” “embarrassing or private moments,” and “sarcasm or teasing that could be interpreted as bullying.”

The list’s entries do not fall into the narrow scope and are far more subjective than the legal categories of censorable content identified by the New Voices Act. Terms like “embarrassing,” “ridicule,” and “sarcasm” can describe ordinary journalism, criticism, or commentary — not necessarily legally restrainable content. 

“A student using his opinion column to harass and spread unfounded gossip about the class president is very different from a student writing a sharp critique of a speech given by a Board of Education member — yet both could be considered ‘ridicule of individuals or groups,’” the student journalists wrote in their letter to MCPS today.

“We want this to be clear: Any prior review and restraint policy that does not explicitly confine itself to the categories the New Voices Act identifies as legally restrainable is inconsistent with the law and undermines student journalism,” the student journalists wrote in their letter.

Further information

• The Washington Post: Fearing censorship, student journalists sound alarm over district policy
• The Student Press Law Center: Maryland students call for withdrawal of prior review memo 
• The letter that students sent to MCPS at noon today.

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