By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DEERFIELD TWP. - A legal dispute over an advertising-in-schools policy at Kings Local Schools is over.

Deerfield residents Dorette and Del Landis, joined by the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending & Taxes (COAST), had filed the suit after being barred from campaigning on school grounds. The suit was dismissed in late January "in exchange for the fact that they changed their policies," and with Kings paying $14,000 in attorney fees and court costs, COAST attorney Chris Finney said.

"I just hope they'll let people practice their First Amendment rights on school property in a tasteful way," Dorette Landis said. "Education of voters to me is a thing that needs to be presented to students, teachers and parents. It's a democratic process that students need to see."

The dispute started when community members were not allowed to hand out fliers at an October football game. The leaflets supported a measure to increase the number of Deerfield Township trustees from three to five.

The district's policy at the time, which the school board rescinded in November, said the superintendent must approve "notices, advertisements or written matter of any nature" before it could be passed out. The policy was adopted in 1998, while Del Landis was a school board member.

Superintendent David Query said the district is working on a new policy.

"We want to make certain that the policy is one that is appropriate and can be enforced and that we not have this kind of situation occur again," Query said.

The policy was based on a format from the Ohio School Boards Association, which is not going to be changed, spokesman Scott Ebright said. Lebanon and Northridge Local schools near Dayton have similar advertising policies.

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com