Indiana in the spotlight again - and not the good kind of spotlight

Some of you might remember the plight of Amy Sorrell and her staff at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School in Indiana last year. Well, another case of censorship has reared its head in that state about 150 miles away in Franklin.

The staff of the Franklin Community High School student newspaper The Electron -- an uncensored open public forum for 25 years -- wrote a series of articles in a two-page spread on safe sex and sexually transmitted diseases. The principal, Craig McCaffrey, disagreed with the way the articles were written and felt there should have been more of an emphasis on abstinence. Now he wants prior review.

You can read all the details over at J-Ideas, which has reprinted an article from the local newspaper on its Web site. (Update: Here is the story from today's Indianapolis Star.) Essentially, the principal would like the ability to censor the publication because he disagreed with the content, something that is not protected even under the Hazelwood decision.

How can you make your voice heard?

If you would like to reach McCaffrey to voice your concerns about his unfounded censorship, you can reach him via e-mail here. If you would like to send a note of support to the adviser of The Electron or her staff, you can reach Carmen Mann-Lynch here. If you would like to contact the Franklin Community School Corporation's school board, you can find all five members' e-mail addresses here.

Board upholds Vashon censorship

Alas, if only we could reach the school boards that often make final decisions in censorship cases.

In another blow for student journalists, the Vashon Island School Board upheld the censorship of an article that was to run in the Vashon Island High School student publication, The Riptide. Apparently, the board operated under the (well-documented) misguided assumption that the school owns the publication, according to the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber:

As (VHS Principal Susan) Hanson had explained earlier, the school district owns the paper and is liable for what appears there, so it has the right to control it, (board member Gene) Lipitz said.

Unfortunately, this overly simplistic view of the situation ignores that The Riptide appears to have operated in practice as an open public forum, a situation that should have trumped the censorship under the Hazelwood case, since, by the board's own admission, there is no clear publications policy in place in the Vashon Island School District.

For his part, adviser Greg McElroy disgrees with the board's decision, for obvious reasons.

Greg McElroy, a faculty member who advises the staff of the Riptide, said on Sunday that since the student paper is owned by a government agency, he thinks it inherently has no power, as the federal and state governments do not, to censor. He added that he recognizes that the Supreme Court has ruled otherwise; he says he just disagrees with the court’s decision.

He also indicated that there are five states that now have freedom of the press laws that apply to students and that Washington would have had one if a bill enacting student press rights had passed the Legislature this year.

Asked who would assume liability if a school administration could not censor student newspapers, he said it would be the editors of the paper, who would likely not be sued if they understood and practiced sound journalism.

Another example of press restriction, this time in Indiana

As we await word on the fate of House Bill 1307, the Student Free Press Bill, it's worth noting one of the more egregious examples of abuse of principal power in recent memory -- one that continues to have fallout more than a month after it happened.

It all started with an editorial at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School in Woodburn, Ind., that called for tolerance towards gays and lesbians. The principal said the material was not suitable for some members of the school (which serves grades 7-12), and after publication of the paper instituted a policy of absolute prior review, where he would review everything before it went to press.

Additionally, he sent a letter of reprimand to the adviser, who he says was supposed to bring any articles to him that might potentially be controversial before the paper goes to press. She since has been put on paid leave by the school board, which strangely also refuses to hear any public commentary on any aspect of the issue.

Some experts have weighed in, saying the principal was well within his Hazelwood rights to do what he did. It's worth noting that under House Bill 1307, none of this could happen to either the students or the adviser.

Here are some of the opinion pieces that have come out in the wake of this whole mess. In the interest of balance, I would include a piece defending the principal -- but I can't find any.

• "Tolerating student views"
• "Student journalism should teach civics, not censorhip"
• "Censorship easy way out for schools"
• "... and principal could do much better"

News Tribune explores Vashon censorship

We covered the Vashon High School censorhip case here, but the story is now gaining mainstream media exposure. In addition to being featured on many news broadcasts last night, The (Tacoma) News Tribune has this story in their newspaper today.

Still awaiting vote on HB 1307 as unwarranted censorship in Washington continues

Even as we continue to wait for a vote on House Bill 1307, the Student Free Press Bill, censorship (unfortunately) continues to be alive and well in Washington State, as a pair of incidents have further underscored the need for legislation.

The most egregious incident happened last week at Vashon High School, where Principal Susan Hanson barred the staff of The Riptide from publishing an article. While the subject of the article has not been made public, it ostensibly was about a school staff member, as Hanson used the following rationale for her decision in a letter sent to The Riptide staff:

“A student newspaper is not an appropriate vehicle for airing concerns, complaints or criticisms about District staff.”

Both a reporter at The (Tacoma) News Tribune and the Student Press Law Center vetted the story, even as the district continues to use the Hazelwood Supreme Court decision to justify its stance.

Additionally, the staff of the Lake Stevens High School newspaper The Valhalla was subjected to censorship last month when Principal Ken Collins told the staff it could not run a story about a teacher’s controversial assignment, even though it had already been covered by the local media.

Although adviser Aaron Coe said a compromise was reached, he also told the Student Press Law Center, "You kind of wonder what would happen if something bigger happens down the road."

The principals in both situations seemed to be seeking to avoid controversy, but the irony is that they are creating it with their misguided application of the Hazelwood decision.

To the contrary of both principals’ stances, this is exactly why House Bill 1307 is so badly needed: District staff are agents of the government, and the student media is precisely the place for this kind of responsible dialogue. Any attempt to suppress this kind of dialogue – even if it’s simply reaching a “compromise” on an article – amounts to governmental censorship.

If you wish to contact any of the parties involved, here are their e-mail addresses:

• Susan Hanson, principal, Vashon High School: shanson@vashonsd.org
• Contact the staff of The Riptide here.
• Ken Collins, principal, Lake Stevens High School: ken_collins@lkstevens.wednet.edu
• Aaron Coe, adviser, The Valhalla: aaron_coe@lkstevens.wednet.edu