Illinois High School Newspaper Confiscated
An Illinois high schools’ student newspaper was confiscated by administrators last month because it contained a series of articles on cannabis use and policy.
The two-page spread published in the Evanstonian was entitled “The Pot Thickens,” and included a student survey as well as six stories with titles such as “School Stress Causes Marijuana Usage” and “6 Questions for a Drug Dealer.” It also covered subjects ranging from cannabis legislation to the financial implications of cannabis in Illinois.
Administrators at Evanston Township High School (ETHS) defended their decision to confiscate last month’s issue by stating the articles glorified drug use and drug dealing, promoted illegal conduct and violated school policy. Dr. Marcus Campbell, principal of ETHS, further explained that the students’ rights to free speech, though championed, are limited by law.
“The U.S Constitution and the Illinois Speech Right of Student Journalists Act both provide student journalists with certain rights to speech that ETHS celebrates . . . those rights are limited” Campbell told the Evanston Patch. “When student journalism incites unlawful acts, violation of school policy or disrupts the school, the administration has the authority to impose limits. The articles on September 22, 2017 did cross these lines and were removed from circulation for that reason.”
First Amendment legal advocates, however, argue that the schools’ administrators could have violated state law when they failed to show justification for their concerns before confiscating the paper. Legal advocates and the student journalists involved met with the District 202 school board Oct. 13 roughly three weeks after the confiscation occurred. Members of the Evanstonian staff were told they could republish their work if they were sufficiently modified, including warnings of possible dangers to cannabis use.
Members of the District 202 school board plan to meet again Oct. 23 for a public discussion of the confiscation issue.
