A law that limits teachers' contact with students on social networks takes affect at the end of the month, but a teachers' organization is challenging the controversial new law.
The Missouri Teachers Association filed suit Friday against the state and two officials. They want an injunction to block enforcement of the new measures.
The law prohibits teachers and students from having exclusive contact on social media sites, including Twitter. National news organizations have been talking about the law since the beginning of August.
The law reaches not just current teachers and students, but also former students who are still minors.
The lawsuit asserts the restrictions are so vague and overbroad that it would be difficult to know what is allowed and contends teachers' free speech and association rights would be restricted.
State Sen. Jane Cunningham, who sponsored the proposal, is confident it will withstand legal scrutiny. She says critics misunderstand the restrictions and that only private communication is banned.
Mid-Missouri schools said they were not worried about the law because they already had policies on hand to deal with exclusive contact between teachers and students.
But many Mid-Missourians were outraged by the law, saying it violated the first amendment.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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