FIRE has asked the Board of Trustees of Sinclair Community College (SCC) to do what SCC President Steven Lee Johnson has refused to do: revise SCC’s unconstitutional distribution policies to preserve First Amendment rights for SCC students.
FIRE’s letter to Board of Trustees Chair Lawrence Porter points out that SCC maintains two policies that not only contradict each other, but also unconstitutionally prevent students from distributing materials across a large percentage of the campus. These policies were used to prevent a pro-life student from distributing materials pertaining to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month to her classmates after class, when there was no risk (or evidence) whatsoever of disruption of class.
As we state in our letter, SCC’s distribution bans actively interfere with SCC’s primary mission, which is "the educational enrichment of the community" through a marketplace of ideas.
FIRE will continue to pursue justice for SCC student Ethel Borel-Donohue and all of her classmates until SCC meets its legal obligations to uphold freedom of speech on campus.