Hey kids of Timberland High School, you remember this: You mess with the bull, you get the horns.
The staff of the school newspaper and free speech honks that live for things like this filed in to a Wentzville School Board meeting Thursday night to hear a discussion of whether the level of censorship being displayed by the Timberland High School principal was within “acceptable” levels. Apparently the kids have been feeling a bit censored for some time now. Things like…
At issue, everything from a tattoo article pulled from the paper to yearbook photos deemed too risqué. Legally, it is the principal’s prerogative to make these calls.
No one is arguing that the principal has the last call in his school, and we aren’t going to get in to that here. This is really about letting the kids put their argument out there, be heard, and have a rational discussion about it. Hell, they even cared enough to start a blog about the subject, and just wanted to be heard by the school board.
…of course by the time all the people on the other side of the coin got done blathering about how censorship is good, time was up and the meeting was over. Go home. F*ck you kids.
Seriously. That’s what happened.
Inside the board meeting, public comment began. The first speakers supported the idea of extra review for budding journalists. And then, because of a time limit, public comment was over before the free speech group got its turn.
The group filed out of the meeting disappointed, angry and frustrated.
Nothing quiets a group of angry kids down like promising them to let them be heard and then say “Nevermind, all the adults talked up your whole turn.” I’m sure a fair and balanced argument like that will definitely make the school newspaper think twice about running stories about tattoos or bubblegum or penny whistles…whatever it is kids want to write about these days.
Now to be fair to the school board, they did decide to allow one member from the group to defend their side of the argument before the meeting was adjourned. Well gee, don’t go out of your way or anything you assholes. How the hell is hours of people talking about one side of the argument and then at the last second, saying “Oh yeah, you wanted to say something for your side…hurry up though.” is a fair shake?Why bother even having the meeting?! Why not just tell the kids “Hey, guess what? We don’t give a crap about what you think.” That’s clearly the truth isn’t it? Did the board not know about the time limit? Could they not just say “This is your last speaker, we have to let the other side have their time.” Nope. They might as well just done that thing when you blow in to your thumb to “inflate” your middle finger at the kids while they let a bunch of people talk that came because they are pro-censorship.
Its also worth nothing that a KSDK film crew was there, and just before they left is when the board had a change of heart to let one…one…high school representative say their piece. Ya think the kids would have even got that if the KSDK crew wasn’t there? Pfft. Please.
Here’s a tip kids. Screw that school paper. Give us a ring, and we’ll happily set you up with timberland.punchingkitty.com. Write about tattoos all you want. Seriously: 314-266-8477
via: KSDK
Update: The Stop THS Censorship blog now has a post up about their school board meeting experience.
] After thinking about it for a little while longer, and resisting the urge to toss my computer through a window, I decided it would be more fitting of what Punching Kitty has stood for thus far to continue on and simply “note” the one thing I can’t touch on in an open, although admittedly vague out of necessity, letter and then go about my business the best I can.
