Our search for censorious jerks in positions of power takes us now to Columbus, Indiana, where students on the Columbus North High School paper prepared a four-page spread on oral sex and its consequences.
The article was “what you might find in a magazine like Playboy or Hustler but should not be in a school newspaper,” Russell Barnard, a school board member in the district, told television station WISH in Indianapolis.
But the school’s principal, David Clark, said the students took the issue of oral sex seriously.
Clark told Indianapolis television station WRTV-6 that he trusts the student journalists’ judgement.
“I didn’t say you can’t do it. I didn’t say you shouldn’t do it. I think it was a trust,” Clark said.
Clark told the tv station that he was initially uncomfortable with the story, but came around as he recognized its importance and how well student journalists did their job.
“You got a whole generation of kids with that whole mental attitude, well that’s no big deal we can do it. There’s no attachment,” Clark told the station. “Let’s go to lunch. Let’s have oral sex. Let’s go back to math class.”
Clark said the article focused on providing education about oral sex and sexually transmitted diseases.
Sounds reasonable to us. Clark seems like a pretty good principal, in fact.
But Russell Barnard, a school board member, was offended by the story. He’s proposing that all material for the school paper gain the approval of the newspaper’s sponsor, the high school principal and the district superintendent before it is published.
“The administration needs to have control of what’s published with the name of the school appearing on it,” Barnard told a local newspaper. “Right now it looks like the children are running the school and can do as they please. It’s time that the adults run the school.”
The Columbus North journalism advisor, Kim Green, said she’d resign in protest if the school board adopts Barnard’s restrictive policy.
“I don’t do pretend journalism,” Green told the newspaper. “It’ll be hard to find good journalism teachers when their expertise is turned over to someone else.”
According to The Associated Press, Nikki Shepherd, a senior at North and Triangle tri-editor, said submitting to prior review would be a step backward.
“It wouldn’t be our voice anymore. It would be theirs,” she said.
So let’s praise Shepherd, Green and Clark for standing up for good journalism.
And let’s add Barnard to our Hall of Shame and hope that board members with vulgar agendas can’t just do what they please.
It’s time Americans with a faith in freedom stand up against jackasses like him.
Associated Press: Officials want to restrain school paper after oral sex report
My brother and I are both graduates of Columbus North High School in Columbus Indiana. Neither of us live in Columbus today. We both still have connections and have heard this story. It was somewhat the talk of the town. Prior to reading the article we both had taken the opinion that the article sounded as though it were a piece that did not belong in a high school newspaper. I managed to get a copy of the article and read it. I was impressed by the quality of the article as well as the different perspectives it offered on the subject. I commend the students for doing such a good job with such a sensitive subject. There are several examples of school systems getting sued and loosing the battles for articles very similar to this in nature.
“My original complaint was that this material should be covered in a classroom, or with a doctor, or with a counselor or minister, and (best of all) with parents. Students have no right to decide that they are empowered to become “educators” of other students. By the way, found out last night that this particular newspaper was not only distributed in North HS but also at Northside Middle School so the 7th and 8th grade kids could be “educated”.”
That’s a quote from Mr. Barnard. I believe his concerns were and are legitimate. Its time Americans with Faith in God and the principles our country were founded on fight to stop the desensitization we are subjecting ourselves to on a daily basis. TV, radio, and magazines are filled with sexual agendas. For this reason sexual education and oral sex education is paramount to our young people. As Mr. Barnard stated frequently has its place in the classroom. I was disturbed to see that Mr. Barnard was being referred to as a “jackass”. Directly after you call him a name you refer to his fight for what he believes to be right a “vulgar agenda”. I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Barnard and he was as far from being a jackass as a person can get. He was a loving and caring man. He loved the Lord and he loved his family. Mr. Russell Barnard (my Grandfather) passed two weeks ago and out of respect for him and his family I would like to ask that you make my post available to your readers the same as your article is.
My brother and I are both graduates of Columbus North High School in Columbus Indiana. Neither of us live in Columbus today. We both still have connections and have heard this story. It was somewhat the talk of the town. Prior to reading the article we both had taken the opinion that the article sounded as though it were a piece that did not belong in a high school newspaper. I managed to get a copy of the article and read it. I was impressed by the quality of the article as well as the different perspectives it offered on the subject. I commend the students for doing such a good job with such a sensitive subject. There are several examples of school systems getting sued and loosing the battles for articles very similar to this in nature.
“My original complaint was that this material should be covered in a classroom, or with a doctor, or with a counselor or minister, and (best of all) with parents. Students have no right to decide that they are empowered to become “educators” of other students. By the way, found out last night that this particular newspaper was not only distributed in North HS but also at Northside Middle School so the 7th and 8th grade kids could be “educated”.”
That’s a quote from Mr. Barnard. I believe his concerns were and are legitimate. Its time Americans with Faith in God and the principles our country were founded on fight to stop the desensitization we are subjecting ourselves to on a daily basis. TV, radio, and magazines are filled with sexual agendas. For this reason sexual education and oral sex education is paramount to our young people. As Mr. Barnard stated frequently has its place in the classroom. I was disturbed to see that Mr. Barnard was being referred to as a “jackass”. Directly after you call him a name you refer to his fight for what he believes to be right a “vulgar agenda”. I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Barnard and he was as far from being a jackass as a person can get. He was a loving and caring man. He loved the Lord and he loved his family. Mr. Russell Barnard (my Grandfather) passed two weeks ago and out of respect for him and his family I would like to ask that you make my post available to your readers the same as your article is.