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Two Ohio high school newspapers now subject to advisory board criticism
Resolution comes after parents complained about articles on sex
© 2007 Student Press Law Center
April 17, 2007
A meeting
between administrators and teachers in the Olentangy School District was held
April 12 to develop a "short-term" plan to address the concerns of the
community, according to Executive Director of Secondary Education Eric
Gordon.
Olentangy Liberty High School's student newspaper, The
Cannon, ran a satirical piece on teenage sexuality and a news article on
date rape in its April 5 issue that raised questions of appropriateness from
parents, district spokesperson Amanda Morris said.
Adviser Catherine
Boone said the satirical piece covered how boys and girls view each other, using
"pop culture terms."
"The point [of the article] is that girls are
offended by the way they're seen," Boone said. "I don't believe there was any
intent to do anything inflammatory with that article."
The incident
follows a conflict at Olentangy High School, another high school in the
Olentangy School District, with its student newspaper, The Beacon. In
February, the monthly news magazine ran an issue devoted to sex, including
articles on sexually transmitted diseases and oral sex. Beacon Adviser
Mardy Hanlon-Stolte wrote a letter of apology to parents for anyone who was
offended, but said that the topics were appropriate for the students, Gordon
said.
The topic of appropriateness was also discussed at the school
board's April 10 meeting at which some board members criticized some of the
topics being covered, according to Gordon.
Gordon also said school
officials at the April 12 meeting did not move to establish a binding prior
review policy, but rather create a diverse committee to "provide support to
journalism teachers so there's not one sole judge and jury" prior to printing.
Each high school will have its own panel that will evaluate the content
of its sister school's newspaper. The panel will consist of the building
principal, journalism teachers, a sophomore and senior journalism student and a
professional reporter. The school board president and vice president are
temporarily serving on the board as well "to make sure that the community [view]
is included," but students will not have to adhere to the suggestions of the
panel, Gordon said.
Gordon said it was important for the journalism
teachers to have a say in the decision "and that it's not just something being
done to them." He anticipates another meeting in the future to develop a
"long-term solution," but said he is unsure what that will involve at this
time.
By Erica Hudock, SPLC staff writer
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