The Slippery Rock Area School Board made a wise decision this week by voting to update its policy on student expression.

The move follows a lawsuit threatening to sue 55 Pennsylvania school districts regarding a policy on expressing religious beliefs at school. The lawsuit’s focus is more about freedom of speech than religion in schools.

On Monday, Slippery Rock’s school board voted to update Policy 220, which creates a procedure for students who want to distribute or post materials in the district’s schools.

“Regardless of whether we got a legal letter... we needed to address it,” superintendent Alfonso Angelucci said.

We agree.

The lawsuit argued the Pennsylvania School Board Association’s policy misinterpreted the First Amendment’s separation of church and state, thereby limiting students’ rights to express religious beliefs during extracurricular activities, such as student clubs.

For example, one school’s Bible club wasn’t allowed to put up a poster about a meeting because it contained a Bible verse.

As we recently argued on this page, it’s understandable that parents wouldn’t want their child subjected to religious instruction in the classroom — other than studying world religions in a social studies class — but there’s no reason why students shouldn’t be able to participate in clubs of a religious nature, regardless of their religion.

The Butler Area School Board — also named in the lawsuit — has been working to correct the policy.

We think two rules it included in its changes to the policy are good: Students must submit materials for review one day before they post them, and an appeals process would be available for students whose materials are denied.

The first rule is important because although we believe students should have the right to express themselves, schools should still monitor materials that students are placing in public view.

Had such a concept been more carefully considered to begin with, the second rule could possibly have prevented the lawsuit.

An appeals process enables students who have been denied to make their case. It also gives educators the opportunity to tell students how they can refine materials they are passing out, so that they meet — or do not violate — specific criteria.

This rule furthers the concept of students and educators having a dialogue. We’re glad Slippery Rock and Butler’s school boards are changing their policies, and we hope the former district takes inspiration from the latter district’s newly implemented rules on the matter.