Site Policy
This site is run by the staff of the Kaneland Krier, the student newspaper serving Kaneland High School since 1974. Since the Krier is and always has been a Tinker publication with free speech rights, all editorial decisions are made by our editorial board, and prior review is not allowed by anyone outside the staff. District 302 has no control over the content of this site, and the content of this site does not necessarily represent the views of Kaneland administrators, faculty, or staff.
Our editorial board believes in free speech rights and that people have a right to be heard. We want you to join the conversation! We also believe that a newspaper site is a place for civil and thoughtful debate, and to maintain that atmosphere, we reserve the right to delete or moderate comments at any time and for any reason. We also reserve the right to ban specific users or to report them to the authorities if we deem necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions About Comments
How does the editorial board determine which comments to publish?
Simple: we don’t. Comments are not pre-screened or pre-approved by the Krier editorial board or anyone else. They are run through an automated computer filter that holds comments using certain words (mostly obscene and vulgar terms) and potential spam for review. Otherwise, comments appear immediately on the site. Users are solely responsible for the content of their comments. Under the Communications Decency Act of 1996, neither the Krier or District 302 has legal responsibility or liability for what users do or say. However, the Krier editorial board wants to maintain a civil atmosphere on this site and reserves the right to delete or moderate comments at any time and for any reason.
Does the editorial board edit comments?
No. We do not change people’s words. If we deem a comment inappropriate, we simply delete it.
Does the editorial board review comments?
Yes. Krier editors read comments once a day, on school days, and delete comments if we deem necessary.
In what cases do you delete comments or ban/report users?
We reserve the right to delete a comment at any time and for any reason.
Potential reasons we might delete a user’s comment or ban or report a user to authorities include, but are not limited to, comments that are: libelous, an invasion of privacy, obscene, copyright violations, substantial disruption of the school environment, illegal in any way, personal attacks, hostile, hateful, harassing, vulgar, inappropriately sexual or substance-related, factually inaccurate, irrelevant to the topic at hand, advertising, spam, self-promotion, or images of any kind (including ASCII images).
The Krier editorial board functions separately from the District 302 administration. The editorial board is the sole body that determines whether a comment should be deleted or a user banned or reported.
Can I make an anonymous comment?
Anonymous comments are not permitted. We believe users should be willing to publicly stand by what they say in the Krier. To make a comment, you must be logged in.
What user data does the Krier collect?
Our comment system logs your name, e-mail address, and IP address whenever you post. We will not sell this information to anyone, nor will we send you spam e-mails. We might give it to school or legal authorities, if we deem it necessary.
Is what I say on the Krier site considered in-school or out-of-school speech?
Because the Krier website is hosted on district servers, anything said on our site is considered in-school speech and can be treated by the school district as such. That means that, technically, current students of Kaneland can be disciplined by the district for speech that violates school rules.
What should I do if I see a comment on the site that I think should be removed?
If you have concerns about a particular comment you see on the site, please click the “report” button below that comment to notify editors, who will look more closely at that comment, or e-mail the editorial board to let us know. The Krier editorial board will determine whether a reported comment should or should not be deleted. District 302 administrators and faculty do not have control over the content of the Krier site and cannot delete comments, so please direct questions, comments, or concerns to our editorial board. E-mails can be sent directly to our editorial board using the e-mail form below:
