Lakeridge High newspaper opinion on drugs may prompt policy review
by Yuxing Zheng, The Oregonian
Wednesday March 04, 2009, 5:50 PM
An opinion piece in the Lakeridge High School newspaper about student use of psychedelic drugs has become a mind-expanding experience for some Lake Oswego School District students.
Student journalists were among the dozen people who spoke at last week's school board meeting about Superintendent Bill Korach's recommendation that the district revise its policy on freedom of expression in the wake of the newspaper piece.
Korach wants the district to define what it means to "incite" students and what it means to create a "clear and present danger" in student publications. A number of students and parents want the district to retain its current policy and to ignore a parent group's suggestions that principals review student writing before publication.
"Censorship will have detrimental consequences for free thinking and intellectual thought at Lakeridge," said Max Heninger, a Lakeridge junior and opinion editor on the student newspaper. "Please do not censor us."
The district will consult further with attorneys representing the district and the Oregon School Boards Association. The freedom of expression policy, part of a larger set of policy updates, is likely to be discussed again in April or May.
Controversy erupted after Lakeridge senior Tyler Smith wrote a Jan. 13 opinion piece in the Newspacer arguing that people should be more open-minded about psychedelic drugs.
The Waluga Parent-Teacher Organization, which is worried about children using drugs, pressed the district for new guidelines, including having Principal Mike Lehman review Newspacer articles prior to publication.
Some students and parents balked, saying the parent group's suggestions amounted to prior review and censorship and would illegally restrict the right of students freely to express themselves under Oregon statutes.
Yuxing Zheng: 503-294-5922;
[email protected]
