The College Fix

It might not run afoul of the U.S. Constitution, but it’s likely that it violates the school district’s own policy.

A high school principal in Virginia has promised to excise photos of a pregnant teen student from the yearbook, but because of how the administrator did it – orally – the student editor can’t appeal the decision, The Washington Post reports.

Hannah Talbert, 17, has already “signed off” on her pictures (originally from Instagram) being used, saying she doesn’t regret having her son Logan. Her dad supports it. Mount Vernon High School interim Principal Esther Manns doesn’t:

[Editor Anderson] Bonilla said he left his meeting with the principal believing that she had decided the photos of Talbert would not appear in the yearbook. She did not, however, submit any written decision on the pictures. Under the school district’s policies, students can appeal a decision in writing.

A school spokesman claims that Manns “raised concerns” about some pregnancy photos – part of a two-page spread on pregnant students – but hasn’t decided the matter finally.

There’s a little wiggle room for K-12 administrators to censor student publications under the Supreme Court’s Hazelwood ruling, as the Post notes:

justices ruled that principals could censor articles on such sensitive subjects as pregnancy and divorce in student publications since the publication carries the “imprimatur” of the school.

But Fairfax County Public Schools is stricter, saying that “principals can censor only material that they believe will cause a disruption or that is ‘harmful to juveniles.'”

Editor Bonilla says this is bunk, just Manns trying to protect students from the real world:

“We are actually giving a realistic view of what these girls go through,” Bonilla said. “She’s still here. She’s getting her education. That’s what we’re trying to show the school.”

Read the story.

h/t Peter Bonilla (no relation to Anderson)

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