Mo. Gov. Nixon signed SB54, also known as the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, into law in July - making national news regarding some of the bill's provisions on educators and social media.
Now the law is being challenged in court by the Missouri State Teachers Association.
The MSTA has filed a petition with the Circuit Court of Cole County, asking the court to "determine the constitutionality of the social media portion of a new state law," an announcement on their website stated.
So, what are the grounds and requested actions the MSTA outlines in their petition? A release explains:
MSTAbelieves the bill signed into law by Gov. Jay Nixon in July infringes on educators’ first amendment rights of free speech, association and religion. MSTA is asking the court to keep that section of law from being implemented until the constitutionality can be determined.
“Many of our members are concerned about the unintended consequences of this law, including their ability to monitor their own children’s online activities,” said MSTA legal counsel, Gail McCray, in a press release. “It's vague and more importantly, we believe it violates the constitutional rights of educators.”