Improved Clinch

Feelings, For the Children

At Hillsborough High School, in Florida, the student published paper attempted to publish an article on the so called “achievement gap.” You know the one, the gap between test scores of students based on race.

The article, which was yanked by the school’s principal, William Orr, was not publishing anything new, radical, or offensive, in that the article contained data that is easily available from the federal government, who wants no child left behind, or, the State of Florida’s own Education Department’s website. So why was the article yanked?

"If it’s something that has a potential to hurt students’ self-esteem, then I have an obligation not to let that happen,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the job of the school newspaper to embarrass the students."

Feelings, can’t have those hurt, can we.

It’s interesting to note, also, the school’s thoughts on if the article would have been published in a real newspaper, you know, one that doesn’t have students reporting.

"If it had appeared in the Tampa Tribune or St. Petersburg Times, we wouldn’t have thought anything of it,” said Bertha Baker, assistant principal for administration. “But a student newspaper has to be a little more sensitive to the feelings of the students."

School newspaper censored

Via The Obscure Store.

Posted by on 10/25 at 05:19 AM