The student newspaper at Bear Creek High School in Stockton wants to publish a story about an year-old student who works in adult entertainment. The district is laying on the brakes, claiming the article could be obscene. Currently, the article in The Bruin Voice is set to be published and distributed on May 3. But Duffel could lose her job. The first letter from the district came earlier this month said she could be dismissed if a copy of the story isn't provided before publication.
Bailey Kirkeby is writing the story about the student who performs adult entertainment. She says the student does it to help pay rent and other expenses. Lodi Unified School District officials said they can legally intervene with the publication. They sent a statement to CBS13 that said:. The District has not censored nor stopped the publication of the Bruin Voice, or any article originally scheduled to be published on April 23, now scheduled for May 3. The District is legally required to ensure that publications do not violate Education Code Section This law requires districts to prevent the publication of obscenity, defamation, and incitement.
It also prohibits the publication of content that fails to meet the professional standards of English and journalism. The District will legally intervene to ensure that any school-related activity complies with the law. We are working cooperatively with Mrs. Duffel, the teacher who oversees the Bruin Voice. After refusing to allow the District to see the article, she proposed that an independent attorney review the article to ensure compliance with the law. The District agreed on April In addition, Mrs.
Duffel acknowledged that the District's concerns raised some interesting points and that the students have more work to do. Regardless of action taken by Mrs. Duffel, the District remains committed to the agreed upon process. Duffel said the story contains nothing obscene.
She said it gives a voice to someone who has been the target of criticism and rumors. The school district and the head of the journalism program have agreed to have an independent attorney review the article to ensure its content is legal. Swipe below to see 5 times school newspapers broke noteworthy stories, according to Mental Floss.
