Neshaminy Board Hears Public Comment on Revised Policy

The controversy over proposed revisions to Neshaminy School District Policy 600 continues.

The school board presented a newly updated Policy 600 to the public Tuesday night. District lawyer Mark Levin, who has been hired to handle the controversy over the word “Redskin,” said the policy is slightly different from the one presented at last week’s Policies Committee. He said after input from the district, his review and resident input some changes were made.

Despite the changes, the gist of the policy remains the same. The student editors of the high school school’s newspaper, literary magazine and yearbook would not be able to ban the publication of the word “Redskin.”

District officials say the use of the word, which is considered by some a racial slur against Native Americans, has to be printed by the school paper. District lawyer Mark Levin said the revised policy blocks newspaper staff from editing the word. He said the staff can only prohibit the use of the word when it is used in a offensive way, which district officials have the legal authority to determine. On that note, the writers and editors could print disclaimers near articles where the word was used and they could also editorialize about the word.

School board President Scott Congdon said the policy will continue to be reviewed and could be brought up for discussion and possible action at the May 21 meeting or it could return to the policy committee. He said the proposed policy revision will likely be tinkered with after Tuesday night’s public comment session and other input from the community.

Several members of the school board stated at the end of the meeting that they were proud of how the student editors have acted during the controversy, which has gained national attention.

One of the student editors said after the meeting that he was “more optimistic” after the tone of the board and the reception of the students’ comments.

Student editors from the Neshaminy High School publications – The Playwickian, Howler and Redskin yearbook – voiced their opinion to the school board.

“[Policy 600] reminds me of a lion chained in a den,” Gillian McGoldrick, the editor-in-chief of the award-winning newspaper, said. ” Policy 600 puts restraints on all components of publication.”

Jackson Haines, a student editor, said the students don’t want the “R-word” in the high school newspaper for the “sake of being respectful.”

A multi-page letter from attorney Gayle Sproul of Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz LLP, who is representing the student editor pro-bono, called the policy revision “”part overreaching, intimidating and retaliatory in tone and confusing in construction.” The letter was mailed to district administration last week.

The students also raised concerns that the newspaper’s website, which is powered by WordPress, would have to be taken down. District officials said the students would be able to post their content on the district website.

“It was disappointing to hear so many erroneous representations of what was in this policy,” Levin said.

Student editors and Congdon both told LevittownNow.com that they have heard from people around the nation about the controversy.

Several teachers raised questions about a section of the policy that would limit student interactions with teacher’s via social media.

Neshaminy teacher Suzi Drake had concerns because a student-group she advises used social media to communicate with the community and students.

No real answers on the social media topic were given by the board on the topic.

Click to access policy600.pdf

Related:

• Neshaminy Board Moves ‘Redskin’ Policy Vote on Heels of Letter from Lawyer Representing Students
• Neshaminy Lawyer: Editors Can’t Stop Students from Using Redskin Name
• Neshaminy Mulls Blocking Student Paper Ban on ‘Redskins’ Name
• Neshaminy Board Prez: Redskins Name Not a Slur
• Dump the Redskins Nickname, Neshaminy Student Newspaper Says
• School Paper Editors Win Award for ‘Redskins’ Op-Ed
• Webb Reacts to Being Named Among ‘Worst Persons in the Sports World’