High School Is Accused Of Censorship As Officials Rip Out Yearbook Pages On The News

[mahatmakanejeeves]

UtterDebacleHat Retweeted

These kids put triple-checked news blurbs in their yearbook, had it approved by the school, and then saw their work literally ripped up because some parents complained. About the news. And the district defends the censorship. What’s the lesson for these kids?

Link to tweet

EDUCATION

High School Is Accused Of Censorship As Officials Rip Out Yearbook Pages On The News

August 20, 2021 8:54 PM ET
Vanessa Romo https://www.twitter.com/vanromo

The theme of Bigelow High School's 2020 - 2021 yearbook was The Roaring 20s. But it appears officials at the Arkansas school wanted the student record of the events of the tumultuous year to be a little less of a roar and more of a meow.

Before delivering the keepsakes to students earlier this month, school administrators ripped out a two-page spread depicting a timeline of events from the academic year. Among the high/lowlights included were the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, former President Donald Trump's claims of a rigged election, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is unclear exactly who was behind the decision to excise the pages from the student-designed yearbook, but East End School District Superintendent Heidi Wilson justified the move by citing "community backlash."

Wilson did not reply to NPR's requests for comment.

Meanwhile, some students and parents say it's censorship.

Madison Johnston was in the class that produced the yearbook and was disappointed when she began to hear from other students about the changes after "a group of parents had complained about it being biased."

{snip}

[Demovictory9]

1. A freedom of information records request by the Arkansas Times for any evidence related to the so-ca

A freedom of information records request by the Arkansas Times for any evidence related to the so-called community backlash has gone nowhere, according to the newspaper.

"When asked if there were any emails, or perhaps a public meeting where people shared their opposition to the timeline, Wilson simply answered 'no' in an email and did not respond to further inquiries," the paper reported earlier this week.

[PJMcK]

2. Of course it's censorship

This is a First Amendment issue and it's simple to grasp.

East End School District Superintendent Heidi Wilson is an employee of the government. If she squelched students' right of free speech and free press, she should be sued and terminated from her position.

While private companies and organizations can limited one's rights, the government-- at any level-- cannot.

[tanyev]

3. I'm guessing the complaints came from parents who also demand the freedom to not wear masks.