Policies
First Amendment of the United States Constitution
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Comment Policy
We appreciate all comments to incite discussions within the community. Comments, however, should remain appropriate and stay on-topic. Staff members review all comments before getting it posted on the website. If the comment contains one of the following, it may not be posted.
- Foul language
- Hate speech
- Spam messages
- Incorrect information
Corrections Policy
We strive for complete accuracy. If you believe we have misspelled a name, misquoted or published incorrect information, you can contact us here. After receiving notice of an error, corrections to articles will be made in a timely matter.
Conditions for Content Removal
Content will only be removed by the editorial staff following notice of copyright infringement and/or any other ethical violations. As a historical record of Van Nuys High School, we reserve to right to create, publish, and preserve student-produced content to be accessed by the general public in the future.
Submissions Policy/Reader Participation
Do you have a story idea that you want to get published? Do you have a lead on what we should cover? The Mirror accepts letter to the editors, column writers and guest writers. Note that all articles will be reviewed before getting published. Articles may be edited by editors. If interested, contact us here.
AI Content Policy
(a) We use AI to generate images, captions, and edit articles. Images are created using computer programs that make unique designs based on the article’s topic. Captions and edited articles are created using natural language processing (NLP) algorithms that analyze the content.
(b) We use AI to enhance the quality of its content and make it more engaging. AI-generated images can make articles more visually appealing and captions and edited articles can improve readability. AI also speeds up the content creation process, allowing The Mirror to publish articles more quickly.
(c) We do not use AI to generate misleading or false information and ensures that content created by AI is appropriate and non-offensive. The Mirror monitors AI-generated content and makes corrections as needed.
(d) We own the intellectual property rights to the AI-generated content.
(e) If users notice errors in AI-generated content, they can report them to The Mirror’s editorial staff, who will investigate the issue and take appropriate action.
(f) We comply with all applicable laws, including copyright and privacy laws, and laws governing AI usage.
California Education Code 48907
(a) Pupils of the public schools, including charter schools, shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press including, but not limited to, the use of bulletin boards, the distribution of printed materials or petitions, the wearing of buttons, badges, and other insignia, and the right of expression in official publications, whether or not the publications or other means of expression are supported financially by the school or by use of school facilities, except that expression shall be prohibited which is obscene, libelous, or slanderous. Also prohibited shall be material that so incites pupils as to create a clear and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on school premises or the violation of lawful school regulations, or the substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school.
(b) The governing board or body of each school district or charter school and each county board of education shall adopt rules and regulations in the form of a written publications code, which shall include reasonable provisions for the time, place, and manner of conducting such activities within its respective jurisdiction.
(c) Pupil editors of official school publications shall be responsible for assigning and editing the news, editorial, and feature content of their publications subject to the limitations of this section. However, it shall be the responsibility of a journalism adviser or advisers of pupil publications within each school to supervise the production of the pupil staff, to maintain professional standards of English and journalism, and to maintain the provisions of this section.
(d) There shall be no prior restraint of material prepared for official school publications except insofar as it violates this section. School officials shall have the burden of showing justification without undue delay prior to a limitation of pupil expression under this section.
(e) “Official school publications” refers to material produced by pupils in the journalism, newspaper, yearbook, or writing classes and distributed to the student body either free or for a fee.
(f) This section does not prohibit or prevent the governing board or body of a school district or charter school from adopting otherwise valid rules and regulations relating to oral communication by pupils upon the premises of each school.
(g) An employee shall not be dismissed, suspended, disciplined, reassigned, transferred, or otherwise retaliated against solely for acting to protect a pupil engaged in the conduct authorized under this section, or refusing to infringe upon conduct that is protected by this section, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, or Section 2 of Article I of the California Constitution.
(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 142, Sec. 2. (SB 438) Effective January 1, 2011.)
Legal Information
The Mirror operates under the freedom of expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment. However, articles that are derogatory, inflammatory or libelous to an individual or a group of individuals may be withheld from publication. The opinions expressed in bylined commentary articles and columns represent the views of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mirror or the Editorial Board. Publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of the product or service by the newspaper or the school. All pictures used are either taken by The Mirror staff, taken from the public domain or taken with permission/attribution as required by their license.
