School officials say edition with sex articles not approved
DANBURY — School officials said they did not distribute the high school newspaper, which included articles about sex, because the content was not reviewed beforehand by the principal. The Panther Press was scheduled to go out just before the holiday break. It had already been printed when the decision was made to hold it back. The newspaper contained articles written by Danbury High students about the consequences of teenage sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases and teenage parenting, and editorials making abortion rights and anti-abortion arguments, said journalism teacher Kristi Piper.
I don’t know which upsets me more about this story: the appalling ignorance shown by the alleged adults trying to “protect” children, or the fact that in this day and age, sex is still viewed as dirty, nasty, and wholly inappropriate for schoolchildren to even think about, much less discuss.
How do we expect our children to develop anything resembling a healthy understanding of and appreciation for sex if we don’t allow them the opportunity to discuss it in a safe forum? It’s not as if the school newspaper was printing Dan Savage columns or lessons on bondage and S&M. As these students graduate and move into the adult world, they will have to deal with issues regarding sex and their own sexuality. How do we expect to do this honestly and safely if we deny them the opportunity to discuss sex in an attempt to better understand the issues surrounding the topic?
I would think that, especially in this day and age of HIV/AIDS, when a lack of knowledge and understanding can get you killed, that schools would be fostering and encouraging the open and frank discussion of sex. Schools should be teaching students that responsible sexual behavior is a good, safe, and respectful thing. They should also be teaching students that sex is not something to be ashamed of or discussed in hushed tones.
Yes, I understand that the Supreme Court has ruled that students have no free speech- or really, any- rights. I understand that schools have the right to censor speech and expression by students. What I don’t understand is why Victorian prudishness still rules in small-town Texas. Shouldn’t this sort of ignorance and repression have been deemed passe with the onset of the threat of HIV/AIDS?
When it comes to sex, silence really does equal death. If we do not teach our children, nor allow them to discuss, responsible sexuality and sexual behavior, how do we expect them to learn these important and potentially life-saving lessons? Or are we so wrapped in our hide-bound 1950s Victorian morality that we’re willing to force our children to assume those risks unencumbered by the burden of knowledge?
Apparently so.
