Lake Area Technical College: Nursing Students Told Not to Talk About Their College on Social Media

On September 16th, 2026, FIRE became aware of Lake Area Technical College’s practical nursing program social media policy telling students to “refrain from utilizing social media as a means to comment about LATC, the LATC nursing program, LATC faculty, or program content,” and warns that violations may lead to discipline. On October 13, FIRE wrote LATC, explaining that this policy violates the rights of students because the First Amendment protects students’ right to speak their minds about the public institutions they attend, even when their opinions are critical or unpopular. Under this policy, even a thank-you post for a favorite instructor could be punishable. We urged LATC to either remove or revise this policy to protect the free speech rights of students.