Seattle School Board proposal allows principals ‘to pretty much censor at will’

Seattle Times
The proposed policy would give Seattle principals the authority to review high school papers before they’re published and would allow them to stop publication if they deem material to be libelous, obscene or “not in keeping with the school’s instructional mission and values,” among other criteria, reports Brian M. Rosenthal. Kathy Schrier, executive director of the Washington Journalism Education Association, tells him that the proposal opens the door for administrators to pretty much censor at will. “It’s just sort of, if you don’t like the way something sounds or you think it’s going to cause a phone call or something, then all of a sudden it doesn’t keep with the values of the school” in the principal’s judgment. The board will vote on the proposal Dec. 7. || Related from KUOW: “Stop the presses, let the principal check them first” || “The district’s statement about why this is OK is classic doublespeak.”