The last couple of weeks have seen a tighteneing of the noose of oppression at Everett (Wash.) High School as school administrators seek to enforce a dormant policy of prior review of the school's newspaper.
The media coverage basically tells what I just reported. It does not show just how two articulate and talented young women editors have championed free speech and said "Hands off!" to school administration -- administration that has never enforced this policy at one of the oldest scholastic newspapers in Washington state.
Additionally, a colleague at nearby Mountlake Terrace High School wrote a guest column for The Herald, Everett's community daily newspaper. It was picked up by the First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tenn., and is available here. It's a compelling piece of persuasion.
That the student editors have acted with conviction, passion and intelligence is testament to the strong education they have received in the Everett School District, north of Seattle. It is ironic that the administration that is demanding more from student learning seeks to risk precisely what is working in its schools. Prior review is not educationally sound, and administrators should abandon their effort to stifle student expression.
It's another thing that is wrong with education.
-- Chicago
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment