Policy Changes at High School in Ill.

May Blog
Hannah Nixon
Announcements Editor
https://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=1901

At a high school in Lincolnshire, Ill. a pandemonium broke out when student advisor Barbara Thill announced her resignation at Stephenson High School following the new policy rules concerning the school paper she advises called the “Statesman.”

The school board had been considering, they say, enforcing these new rules for quite some time. These new policies include more oversight of the student newspaper by Communication Arts Director David Noskin. He will now be reviewing each issue before it goes to print. The staff members of the “Statesman” were outraged, including Managing Editor Jamie Hausman who wrote a letter to the local newspaper about the unpleasant situation.

What finally triggered the policy changes was the Jan. 30 issue of the “Statesman” which featured an in-depth piece about dating habits and especially what “hooking up” means to students today. Jim Conrey, director of public information at Stephenson High School, made it clear the January issue was not the direct cause of the policy changes.

“It’s something that has been under consideration for some time,” Conrey said.

The students on the school’s paper have every right to be maddened by the situation. Not only is their educator leaving because of these policies, they will not be told the things they can and can’t write about. This has been a freedom at North that FUSED publications students have, and it is difficult to imagine what the publication would be like if staff members were told they could not right about a topic because a school authority figure doesn’t see it as appropriate.

The January article of the “Statesman” featuring topics on “hooking up” was described on SPLC’s website as completely relevant to teenage students. This is exactly what newspapers, magazines, and publications are meant to do- to serve their audience. The students, not just the staff members of the paper but the others as well, should not be punished by being ridden of information that could potentially inform them of issues they will face in high school.