MCCSC publications policy fairly liberal

By Scarlett Heydt
Voices Editor

The North Star has a policy set by the Monroe County Community School Corporation. The corporation supports student press rights as well as freedom of expression under the First Amendment. MCCSC holds the North Star accountable under the restrictions, regulations and ethics set down by the American Society of News Editors. They believe in responsibility, freedom of the press, independence, truth, accuracy, impartiality and fair play.

MCCSC recognizes the North Star as a publication funded by students. The policy states that the official publication product will reflect the judgment of the student editors. The North Star is therefore responsible for the content of the publication including, but not limited to, libel, obscenity and defamation. The MCCSC policy does not allow attacks on individuals in or outside the North community.

MCCSC also allows student publications to report on, as well as editorialize about, controversial and crucial subjects within the world. There are, however, restrictions on distributions. The publication must be distributed during the designated times and in the established places without disruption.

According to the policy, distribution of the North Star can be halted by the principal, Jeffry Henderson, for the following reasons: "obscenity, libelous material, material that encourages criminal acts, advocates the violent overthrow of the government or that is foreseen as causing a substantial disruption."

"Articles that may be written that would threaten to create an environment in theschool that would be disruptive to the educational process could potentially be removed from publication," Henderson said.

Henderson does understand though, that students need to be taught how journalism truly functions. He supports the North Star in its efforts to be objective.

"I think that part of teaching responsible journalism requires that students be placed in positions of making decisions regarding the content in the school newspaper," Henderson said. "I believe that the instructor’s responsibility is to educate students about the parameters/guidelines that they should operate within and to select editors of the newspaper who he believes will uphold these guidelines."