February 27, 2007

The Associated Press
Feb. 22, 2007

Excerpt:

A high school principal wants to tighten control of the student newspaper after a sophomore wrote an editorial advocating tolerance for gay people.

Woodlan High School student Megan Chase said she wrote the piece after a friend told her he was gay. […]

After the article was published, Principal Edwin Yoder wrote a letter to the newspaper staff and journalism teacher Amy Sorrell insisting that future issues be subject to his approval. Sorrell and the students contacted the Student Press Law Center, an advocacy group for student newspapers, which advised them to appeal the decision.

Last week, Yoder issued Sorrell a written warning for insubordination and failing to carry out her responsibilities as a teacher. He accused her of exposing students to inappropriate material and warned that she could be fired if she did not comply with his order.

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Leann is a former copy editor at The Dallas Morning News who now works as a writing consultant at Collin College in Plano, Texas. She…
Leann Frola Wendell

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