A twisted direction: Sedona to Hazelwood

This tree is in Sedona.  There were no other trees around it, yet it was still growing sideways and twisting around itself.  There is no explanation for why it is growing like this.  Sort of like there is no explanation for Hazelwood (yes, a jump I know, but stay with me).

I have been thinking a lot about the first amendment and how students, advisers and administrators play that out in schools.  Hazelwood is like this twisted tree.  Almost all of our speakers have spoken to the fact that the Hazelwood has been detrimental to the educational process.  In addition, we have heard again and again about the importance of powerful lessons that students learn when they are in control of the content that they publish.

I talked to Frank Lamonte, from the Student Press Law Center, and he said that administrators are misusing Tinker and using it to take out content that they may simply disagree with.  They are also taking out content with no explanation.  This is illegal.  Hazelwood gives administrators the right to censor, but they still have to have an educational reason for doing so.

We need to work together as advisers to straighten out the twisted tree of Hazelwood.  We owe it to our students.

Tracy Anderson
Community High School
Ann Arbor, MI