Butler Area School Board approved the first reading of changes to a policy that landed them in the sights of a Harrisburg-based law group.

Butler Area and Slippery Rock Area school districts were among 55 districts statewide that were sent letters giving them until Friday to correct or remove a policy that the group said limited students' ability to express their religious beliefs at school.

According to the letters, the Independence Law Center threatened to take legal action if the deadline is not met.

“Freedom of expression is an ongoing issue for the country,” said Butler School Board President Alvin Vavro. “There's a lot of gray area out there, and I just want to make sure that we do what's right for the kids and protect the kids and protect the district at the same time.”

The board approved a first reading of changes to Policy 220, which deals with the ability of students to post or distribute nonschool materials within the school.

The board's change would create an appeals process for students.

Students submit materials to their principal or a designated person one day before they plan to post or distribute the material.

If the student doesn't hear back from the principal, they are good to post or distribute their material.

“If there's a problem, there's a procedure then that the principal notifies that student, and if the student disagrees, there's an appeal process they can go through,” said board member Bill Halle.

If the principal denies a student, their first appeal would go to the assistant superintendent, the second to the superintendent and third to the school board.

Halle said the changes were tweaked from the original draft, which required five-days prior notice and a definitive approval before posting or distribution.

“In kid world, five days is a long time,” Halle said. “This provides the most free speech that they can have.”

While the board's changes offer more protection to students, nothing was changed under the “unprotected student expression” section that could prohibit a student from posting materials.

Materials may be prohibited if that material violates the law, uses vulgarity or obscenity or if the material incites violence, among other reasons.

Vavro said the proposed policy is better than the current one.

He said the second reading of the policy will be voted on at the board's next meeting. Vavro said he is confident it will pass.

“Collectively and collaboratively what we've ended up with is a very solid and appropriate policy for the district and for the kids,” Vavro said.