<p>I would like to clarify that I don’t think that every close relationship between a student and teacher is “off color.” I do think that it’s important to maintain a professional relationship – that can include mentoring, but it’s easy for others to misconstrue that. If students feel that there is favoritism going on, then that’s not good. If a teacher routinely has a good relationship with many students, it’s probably fine. My hackles are raised, however, when it’s just one or two students who receive the special attention, for a variety of reasons.</p>
<p>Congrats on your D’s graduation B…</p>
<p>Well, it sure looks like berurah wasn’t the ONLY one…</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/education/2007/05/22/bolton.yearbook.controversy.kusa[/url]”>http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/education/2007/05/22/bolton.yearbook.controversy.kusa</a></p>
<p>Here’s the problem though… about the colorado post.</p>
<p>Who is the yearbook for? parents or students?</p>
<p>You had a parent complaining about only wanting positive images and then a student telling the camera “that’s what’s schools like here.” </p>
<p>Should they make yearbooks like CD’s… cut and uncut versions?</p>
<p>Or should a parent who finds it objectionable just cut ithe pages out of their kids yearbook and let other parents decide for themselves what is offensive? </p>
<p>I’m not condoning the contents of yearbook, but I don’t know if I want the pta moms or the mothers of decency deciding what to print either… I fear the cure might be worse than the illness.</p>
<p>Why am I not surprised you’re not on the side of the “mothers of decency” (as you so snidely phrase it) OpieofMaybery2. Of course, not speaking up against it IS condoning it.</p>
<p>Whatever side of this one thinks one is on, it is impossible to fully appreciate the significance of this issue unless you understand the context of First Amendment laws as they relate to student publications. Those who say it was just a yearbook - get over it or “ the teacher is gone, give it a rest” are IMO missing the point! This is a big issue, it’s not close to being over, and we are going to be hearing about it again as long as there are the inconsistencies and gray areas in the law that exist today.</p>
<p>In 1988 the Supreme Court upheld Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmeier a case relating to a school newspaper that wanted to publish articles relating to teen pregnancy and birth control among other things (no accident, IMO that this is exactly what is “profiled” in berurah’s HS yearbook). A summary of that decision (which the Supreme Court upheld):</p>
<p>First Amendment rights of students in the public schools are not automatically coextensive with the rights of adults in other settings, and must be applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment. A school need not tolerate student speech that is inconsistent with its basic educational mission, even though the government could not censor similar speech outside the school. Pp. 266-267. </p>
<p>There are only SIX states today that have passed laws that act to expand the rights of their student editors – these laws are known as anti-Hazelwood laws. Kansas is one of the states and Colorado (no accident that is where the story linked by coronax2 is coming from) is another. In Kansas, this called the Kansas Student Publications Act and it gives many more rights to student editors than they had before. What this means is that the children of the majority of posters on this thread are not going to be seeing a yearbook like the one that berurah’s child took home last year any time soon. </p>
<p>Even the Kansas Student Publications Act (I think this was passed in the early 90s) , has its restrictions, and not a few gray areas. For example: a yearbook or any student run publication is still not able to publish anything "libelous, slanderous, obscene or with " matter that commands, requests, induces, encourages, commends or promotes conduct defined by law as a crime or conduct that which constitutes a ground or grounds for suspension or expulsion of students… or which creates a material or substantial disruption of normal school activity.</p>
<p>Certainly the Colorado yearbook would have met that burden - the principal admits he went overboard in the other direction. The truth of the matter is that as people get a first hand look at what anti-Hazelwood laws are allowing (theoretically berurah’s yearbook staff could put a picture of a pregnant teen on EVERY page of the yearbook) they are organizing to repeal or replace the KSPA with something more reasonable. The irony is that in Kansas, schools can still prohibit a kid from wearing a tshirt that references sex , drugs, violence or any message the school sees as being contradictory to its educational mission – but the yearbook of the school, published under its own auspices is not afforded that same consideration.</p>
<p>In VT, that “t-shirt code” just got ruled unconstitutional.</p>
<p>This is from the letter the concerned parent wrote:</p>
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</p>
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</p>
<p><a href=“California an “Island Unto Itself” in Education – NBC Los Angeles”>A-List Women Celebrate Their Own In Hollywood – NBC Los Angeles;
<p>The teacher that oversaw the production of the yearbook has apologized, and has said this content was completely inappropriate. The principal of the school is very unhappy with the yearbook. Is there a set of standards that high school generally follow when designing a yearbook? Is there usually a teacher who has a last say, or is it completely up to students to decide the content?</p>
<p>crosspost with roshke - I see you have answered my question has to how this material ended up in a high school yearbook.</p>
<p>
We’re not talking about the New York Times or any other publication which targets adults. High school kids range from 14 – 18, maybe 19 years old. Three quarters of them are not adults. I would expect that a school would have some sense of decency, whether on the part of the parents or administrators, and would provide guidance. I’m even in favor of censorship for kids, if that’s what you want to call it. There’s a reason why kids under 17 aren’t allowed into R rated movies. Why should yearbooks be any different?</p>
<p>Some of you reaaaalllly get upset when I mention an individual’s right to choose… that just seems to get your goat. I don’t get it. Cut the pages out if you don’t like them. Don’t buy the yearbook. Do what ever you want in your household, I respect your right to do so. However stay out of mine. </p>
<p>What does that mean? In the simple terms it means I fear your control of my life MORE than I fear a few pages in a book. I don’t want HH or SS or even sjmom deciding what’s Ok for me or mine. I don’t object to them having control over their lives or children to raise as they see fit. But hey, mine are OK too, thanks I don’t need your help.</p>
<p>Over 30 years removed from HS, I think I have looked at my yearbook maybe twice for a few minutes. It was probably radical in it’s day too. My kids both done with hs couldn’t tell me where they put theirs. Could it possibly be a mountain out of a molehill?</p>
<p>I mean do any of you SS, HH and others STILL look at your HS yearbooks? </p>
<p>I would agree that the pages are in poor taste, but I would stop far short of saying it’s going to harm youth because it’s there. There far more effective influences on kids than a yearbook. </p>
<p>How bout it any of you college kids out there, do you feel you are influenced by your hs yearbooks? Does your hs yearbook encourage you to drink, do dope, have sex or cheat on your taxes? </p>
<p>The bigger fear I have over this is the control people want over other people. Just remember I could rule the world too. How much fun would you have then?</p>
<p>Opie, I feel that you do not make any distinction between adults and children. You’re darned right that I think society in general should make choices for children. While you may think anything goes, that there are no boundaries on what is tasteful or appropriate, you deprive other students of the right to a yearbook that they don’t have to deface in order to enjoy. The most reasonable choice, in my mind, is something that errs on the side of caution – one that is not intentionally offensive to others. What if a yearbook editor wanted to promote anti-semitism? Or, for the sake of argument, wanted to promote pro-life positions to the point of publishing photos of aborted babies? What about suicide bombers? Do you not see the role of judgement in determining something that meets the needs of most students?</p>
<p>My son’s posters were heavily censored when he was running for student body president. I’m kind of surprised he didn’t take it to court. Instead, he turned it into a humorous college essay. It does sound like bad taste and poor judgment, but free speech is more important than most things, imo.</p>
<p>I went to a private school where each senior girl had a whole page to fill. And I do look at the yearbook from time to time. More often the years when I was class secretary. One year one girl just put a photo she’d taken of some stranger on her page. After that they made it a rule you had to have a recognizable photo of yourself! Of course as a private school they could write all the rules they like. </p>
<p>Someone mentioned high school newspapers. I don’t know anything about the legalities of all this, but if I had my druthers, I’m much more inclined to use the freedom of speech/press arguments for a newspaper than for a yearbook. I just feel the intentions of the publications are very different.</p>
<p>Well, gee, I’m going to find my yearbook today and take a look! I have looked at it a few times over the years – I went to a small school in a small town, so every page is meaningful, full of memories, and at one time I probably could have named everyone in every picture. I like my high school year book. My kids get a big hoot out of it too. </p>
<p>Ah, I found it. There is a picture of the homecoming parade, the snake dance, students walking down the hall,the biology teacher, a cheerleader, someone standing on his head, someone walking on a table in the library, a kid climbing a pole, me walking down the hall, my arms full of books! Some current events – NIXON resigns! The prom, senior pictures, the pictures of the junior, sophomore and freshmen classes, pictures of kids studying, pictures of kids doing science experiments, all the group pictures – the sports teams, the chorus, the candystripers, the debate team, etc. and GASP, pictures of kids who won academic awards! Lots of sports photos and LOTS of pictures of kids studying, LOL. I LOVE MY YEARBOOK! </p>
<p>If I remember correctly, doing the yearbook was part of journalism class, and the teacher had final say over the layouts. I guess she really liked those pictures of kids studying in high school. :).</p>
<p>Thanks for reminding me to look at my yearbook. Lots of good memories. Made my day!</p>
<p>These issues are very tricky because it is hard to know where the line is drawn. Who decides for everyone else about these things? For instance, there have been conflicts where I live as to which books are in the library or assigned for English. A small faction of parents are against certain books. Should they be the ones to decide for everyone else? This basically drove a teacher out eventually. Another time recently, one family was against a handout in a Latin class, that many others saw as educational. This family was opposed to it. The teacher, one of the best in our school with a stellar record, was put on a leave, but eventually was brought back in. The yearbook issue here is a little like this. Who sets these standards of what can be published, handed out or assigned in a classroom? Should a small faction of parents speak for others? In the cases at our school, I was displeased to see these few parents creating havoc over what I felt was entirely appropriate materials. With the yearbook, who decides? It is a student publication. I would expect some guidance with it. But what offends some people is OK to others. The students might see these photos as documentation of all the kinds of students who attend the school and what is significant in their lives. This may include activities that are shunned by adults. Should these be removed from their documentation of the student body? Even if these were forbidden to be in a yearbook, the activities still exist. Keeping quiet about them doesn’t solve anything. It just puts it in a closet. There surely should be balance of all types of kids and their memories of high school. To some, certain activities are their memories and to others, something entirely different. I am not sure who gets to say which kids are represented and which activities, and whose standards of what’s OK will be the ones used for all. Some things are considered bad taste but I am not sure whose standard of what is bad taste should be the ones used. One thing I would not want to see is a certain group of parents deciding for everyone else. In the incidents in our school, it was a minority who wanted to set the standard for everyone else as to what was OK for the classroom or not. </p>
<p>This is not an easy issue. I am not into suppressing speech unless the speech is hurting someone else. Photos of some kids who engage in activities that I find distasteful doesn’t hurt me. I just see it as representing the reality of certain factions in the school. Hopefully, there are photos that represent the other activities that other students are engaged in. For instance, I am not into tatoos or teen pregnancy but those kids are someone’s child and they are in the class. I don’t need to shun them. I don’t want to glorify them either, but they are just a subset of the student body. Hopefully the yearbook shows photos of all types of kids because the reality is that all types comprise the student body. Hiding photos of kids we don’t agree with or think don’t embody wholesomeness doesn’t solve anything. If teen pregnancy, tatoos or partying are indecent, then better to advocate for intervention in the school, not hiding the reality of the make up of the diverse student body.</p>
<p>I do realize that I said that I’d bow out of this thread, but I MUST come back to give a HUMONGOUS thumbs up to roshke, for her succinct and erudite summary of the larger issues which many here have ignored in their haste to condemn and also to coronax2 for posting that wonderful link.</p>
<p>What was remarkable, at least to me, about that video concerning the Colorado case was that EVEN IN A STATE WHICH HAS ITS OWN STUDENT PUBLICATIONS ACT, the principal of that school made a statement saying that some of what was included for publication in their school’s yearbook was indefensible by the administration. So is some of what was published in ours, yet our administration NEVER admitted that, even though they knew it. Instead, it steadfastly refused to hold a civil discourse with the concerned parents and community members. Because of that, the case in our area received MUCH more media attention than it ever would have if we had gotten what we originally wanted…civil discourse and some compromise in a cooperative setting.</p>
<p>It has been mentioned numerous times that our journalism sponsor was talented and award-winning. Let us examine for a moment exactly what a yearbook award connotes. By the admission of our own journalism staff, yearbook awards are given for “edginess.” Group pics are OUT. Pot smoking, pregnancy, etc. are IN. The problem is that that same edginess may not make for good journalism or accurate coverage for a school. </p>
<p>The award is NOT given for fair representation of all students, accurate reflection of a school, or even good writing. After all, if, on a standardized test, I read a selection on pregnant teenagers, caffeine addiction, and tacit approval of cheating, I would get the answer wrong if I entitled that piece, “Striving for Excellence, ACADEMICS.” And yet, in OUR yearbook, the academic excellence section included those things and more…but NOTHING academic whatsoever. That’s just poor writing, no two ways about it, even if one did NOT disapprove of the content. </p>
<p>No one here cares about the dubious yearbook “award” given for tabloid journalism. The kids here wanted something that they felt accurately represented them, their school, and their community. They did not get that. </p>
<p>BTW, I don’t believe that I’ve mentioned this before. Even some of the “alterna-kids” did NOT approve of the yearbook. One of my D’s acquaintances, a girl who was FEATURED in the piercing layout (with a nose piercing) SOUGHT OUT my daughter and asked to sign our petition. And she did. She felt that having an unusual piercing alone did not merit a special layout in the book. Then too, a really good friend of my D (who happens to have four tattoos herself) also signed our petition and supported us at the board meeting, where she was verbally abused by one of the moms of the pregnant girls for “supporting the wrong side.” So, you see, it’s really not as cut and dried at it seems. It’s not parents against kids. Or clean cut kids against tattooed and pierced kids. </p>
<p>The bottom line is, as roshke so eloquently pointed out, that the KSPA does NOT provide a “free for all” for kids to do whatever they want with a yearbook. Free speech, especially in a school setting, always has some bounds.</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>I don’t know why pot smoking would be included in a yearbook, unless it is a school activity or club? (sorry, couldn’t resist . . .)</p>
<p>
This is irrelevant. </p>
<p>This is NOT about whether or not any one person looks at his/her yearbook. In fact, I HAVE shown my kids mine as I was an All-American diver and a high school state champion…and also one of TEN selected out of a class of 525 kids for all-around excellence in academics (I graduated 5th in our class) and athletics, etc. But then, our school VALUED those things highly and showed that valuation by commemorating those accomplishments.</p>
<p>A yearbook reflects what a district VALUES and what it represents, what it’s priorites are, and what kinds of dreams it holds for its students. As such, to give excessive coverage to kids who are taking part in maladaptive behaviors TO THE EXCLUSION of those who are doing the “right thing” is an excusable manifestation of the faux self esteem movement that is so denigrated here on CC. In short, if someone has chosen to commit himself to positive, school sponsored activites, HE IS <strong><em>MORE</em></strong> DESERVING to be featured in a book that is put out by the institution to which he has committed his time and talents. </p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>I agree that the school newspapers are the places for discussions of drugs, pregnancy, tatoos, etc. That is completely appropriate, imo. However, this type of thing in a yearbook validates such behavior (I know OpieofMaybery2 likes that word). </p>
<p>Calling all kids? I would not, in a million years, bet that kids would agree with you, OpieofMaybery2. In fact, I would bet it’s the teachers who are driving this kind of “edgy” material, more often than not.</p>
<p>One aspect of this is that a newspaper is published frequently – monthly or bi monthly, in many cases. Kids can read, discuss, ignore or debate issues in the school paper. But the yearbook is different. There is one yearbook for everyone. And many students have to pay for the yearbook, and it’s not inexpensive. Since it is intended for ALL students at a school, it seems that it should try to satisfy the interests and intentions of as many students as possible. You can’t please everyone, but I do think it’s possible to produce a glossy, attractive, educationally-oriented book that is something the majority of students would enjoy.</p>