Can the Leo Be Censored?

Can the Lakeside Leo be censored? The short answer is yes. Last summer, I went to a writing camp and wrote an article about school newspaper censorship. This sparked my interest in the subject, and once I started researching, I realized how intricate the situation was. Censorship at Lakeside Middle School is a true threat and needs to be addressed.

First, I tried learning about examples of censorship at Lakeside Middle School, so I interviewed a student who had been censored last year. They had just finished writing their article about SAGE when Mr. Soler revised it and met with them about the changes. “I felt oppressed,” they said, ”it didn’t accurately represent what the students thought.” Is student newspaper censorship legal?

In a court case called Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier,  students were censored after writing about teen pregnancy and the impacts of divorce, so the students sued the school saying they had violated their First Amendment right. However, The Supreme court decided five to three that, “The school had a legitimate interest in preventing the publication of articles that it deemed inappropriate and that might appear to have the imprimatur of the school.” Should the Lakeside Middle School be able to censor sensitive topics?

While some states have decided to pass bills, called New Voices Acts, that counteract Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, these bills only affect public schools, and private school newspapers can still be censored. Many of the private schools in the greater Seattle area are facing this problem. In an article for the Seattle Times, Parisa Harvey, the editor-in-chief for UPrep, said, “They believe that because they cover all expenses to produce and print the paper, they are entitled to review and potentially censor our work.” However I believe that the Lakeside Leo should be a free newspaper where student opinions and ideas are heard.