Supt. says school paper will be printed without debated story
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) -- A censored version of the Oak Ridge High School newspaper will be printed, schools superintendent Tom Bailey said Tuesday.
Administrators at Oak Ridge High School went into teachers' classrooms, desks and mailboxes a week ago to retrieve all 1,800 copies of the student-produced newspaper. An article about birth control and another on student tattoos and body piercings were cited by administrators as the reason for the seizures.
Bailey told The Oak Ridger newspaper on Tuesday the edition will be reprinted without the birth control story and with an edited tattoo story.Calls by The Associated Press to Bailey Tuesday morning seeking additional comment were not immediately returned.
The seizure of the newspapers had sparked debate inside and outside the school. Monday night's school board meeting drew a large crowded that included students who wore tape with the word "censored" across their mouths and shirts with protest messages that read "Ignorance isn't bliss."
Brittany Thomas, student editor of The Oak Leaf, told the Knoxville News Sentinel Monday that students are talking with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Student Press Law Center about having a lawyer represent them.
"We're still pursuing this," Brittany said. "They (school officials) wronged us."
"It's not a small thing for a government to confiscate a newspaper," said David Stuart, a local lawyer who met with some students Monday night.
The Oak Leaf's birth control article listed success rates for different methods and said contraceptives were available from doctors and the local health department. Bailey said the article needed to be edited so it would be acceptable for the entire school.
At the school board meeting, parent Jackie Moreno said parents should give their children information about sex.
"It's my responsibility to educate my children about sex and birth control," Moreno said.
The story's author, Krystal Meyers, defended her work.
"A lot of kids don't know that is their right," to obtain birth control without parental permission, Meyers said. "That was me letting them know what their rights are."
"That article talks about subverting parental authority," parent Joseph Oswald said.
In talks between administrators and students, Meyers said she would rather not have her story published, if suggested revisions were required.
Thomas said principal Becky Ervin also wants the tattoo story eliminated, because four of the students pictured are underage.
"The fact is, she (Ervin) changed what she was complaining about," Thomas said before Monday's school board meeting.
Bailey had said Friday the objection to the story was the edition also contained a photo of an unidentified student's tattoo, and the student had not told her parents about the tattoo.
I put the one paragraph of the article in bold to highlight it, it was not the Tennessean's selection.
I just wanted to provide another example of "America's freedom of speech unless you offend someone" Comments are welcomed!
