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Neshaminy High School Admin Accused of Pulling ‘Playwickian’ Copies

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By

Tom Sofield

The controversy over the word “Redskin” at Neshaminy High School seems far from over.

Playwickian student editors talking to the press after the meeting recently. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Playwickian student editors talking to the press after the meeting recently.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

The student editors of the high school’s newspaper, The Playwickian, claim administrators confiscated copies of the newspaper’s final issue last week. Despite the allegations from students that the papers were taken last week, copies were made available and distributed at graduation on Saturday morning, according to The Playwickian Editor-in-Chief Gillian McGoldrick.

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The alleged confiscation came after the newspaper was printed with changes that were not previously approved by the administration.

The latest controversy arose after a student-submitted letter featuring the word “Redskin” was sent in to the staff. The student editors put the later in the draft version of the paper and administration allegedly told them they had to spell the word out in full. Instead, the students did not publish the letter and placed a white box with text in its place. The newspaper was then sent to the printer by the students and without Principal Dr. Robert McGee’s permission.

The message placed in the white box:

“A letter to the editor regarding use of the mascot’s name was sent to us. The editors wished to publish the letter with the word as “R——,” but the school administration advised us that we must publish the entire word. In light of that we have decided not to publish the letter in this edition of The Playwickian. This white space represents our resolve to maintain our rights as editors and our determination to eliminate discrimination.”

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The students’ attorney told the Student Press Law Center the students ” had a right to do what they wanted to do initially and they certainly had a right to do this.”

“The confiscation of the entire newspaper was an inappropriate response to the publication,” attorney Gayle Sproul told the Student Press Law Center.

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The latest incident came after the student editors and newspaper adviser Tara Huber met with district officials early last week.

The students’ fight over the use of the word “Redskin” has been backed by pro-bono legal counsel and letters to the school board from the Society of Professional Journalists and other groups.

Sportscaster Keith Olbermann mentioned the issue again on his ESPN2 program this week. The latest controversy has also received press coverage around the country.

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Neshaminy administration did  not return a request for comment.

 

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Here’s Keith Olbermann’s latest comment on the issue:

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Tom Sofield

Tom Sofield

Tom Sofield has covered news in Bucks County for 16 years for both newspaper and online publications. Tom’s reporting has appeared locally, nationally, and internationally across several mediums. He is proud to report on news in the county where he lives and to have created a reliable publication that the community deserves.