Oak Ridge students protest newspaper censorship

Oak Ridge students protest newspaper censorship

November 28, 2005

OAK RIDGE (WATE) -- Several Oak Ridge students are protesting a move by school officials to censor their monthly newspaper because of an article about birth control.

Last week, Principal Becky Ervin seized all 1,800 copies of Oak Ridge High School's Oak Leaf, because of the birth control and another on students with tattoos and body piercings.

School Superintendent Tom Bailey said he backs Ervin's move because she has the responsibility to enforce standards in her school.

Monday night, several students attended the school board's regularly scheduled meeting to voice their unhappiness with the administration's decision. Many had tape over their mouths with the word "Censor" written on them.

"Getting the word out is not detrimental to our society," said Tess Fulton. "What is detrimental is keeping the word in and making people think sex is bad and you should be punished."

Also in attendance were a few parents who objected to an article about birth control being printed in a student newspaper.

"My daughter is 14. I feel it is important for the adults in her life to protect her," Jackie Moreno told the board. "Miss Ervin did this by pulling the issue of the high school newspaper."

Oak Ridge senior Krystal Meyers was the writer of the article on contraceptives.

"I just wanted to let people know what kinds of birth control that are out there and what you can use," she said.

After removing all copies of the paper before it was circulated, Ervin scheduled a conference with Krystal and her father.

"I walked out of second period today to go to my meeting and I was clapped all the way out of the classroom," Krystal said.

That wasn't the only show of support students have made.

Some students gathered Sunday to make T-shirts to wear to school the next day.

Fulton said she wanted to show the administration the students care. "We are not asking for the administration to be overthrown. We just want the paper to be released and the article to be read."

Samantha Senn's shirt said "If not now, when?" She said she wanted to say, "If we don't take a stand now against this, then when are we going to?"

James Sullivan's shirt read, "Censorship got me pregnant."

Krystal says the messages are proving her point that the article should stay in the paper.

"(The students would) rather hear it from somebody who they trust, another teenager someone who has found out this information for them," Krystal said.

But she and Ervin could not agree to a compromise.

"I would rather her take it out, than me change it, because if she was going to change it she might as well take my name off of it 'cause it's not mine," Krystal said.

Ervin chose not to be interviewed for this report.

6 News reporters Amelia Graham and Tim Miller contributed to this report.