Teacher in hot water for student column

Journalist and media have been discussing the issue of First Amendment and how individuals who don’t agree with what they say or write want to silence them. One teacher has learned that what you believe is okay to talk about may not be shared by others.

Amy Sorrell, 30, a school newspaper advisor, is being punished for letting student Megan Chase write a column about accepting gay people of who they are. Chase, who is a sophomore at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School, wanted to write the story because one of her friends told her that he was gay.

In a CNN article, Andy Melin, assistant superintendent of secondary education and technology said “The way we view it is the broad topic of homosexuality is a sensitive enough issue in our society that the principal deserves to know that it's something the newspaper is going to write about."

So, is talking about tolerance a sensitive and controversial issue and did Sorrell really break the rules of the school.

In the same article Stan Pflueger said "The spirit of the article is just asking people to consider what your previous beliefs were about this particular subject. There's a difference between tolerance and agreement."

The students 7-12th graders are the ones who will be reading the column. Should they be reading about these types of issues? Yes.

By explaining to young people that yes there are people in the world different than you, but it doesn’t make them bad, allows them to be greater human beings. There are too many young teens feeling like they are not worth anything because they are being bullied and ridiculed in school for who they are.

The American Civil Liberties Union is doing a lot of work to promote tolerance and equal rights. There are a lot of teens who are in schools and are expressing that they feel alienated.

An example of this, a Missouri high school student was reprimanded for wearing a T-shirts that had gay pride sayings on them. He was told to take it off or go home the first time he wore it, he decided to give it to someone else. The second time he wore the shirt he went home and was told not to come back.

This is what Brad Mattewson said to a New York Times reporter "The school lets other students wear antigay T-shirts, and I understand that they have a right to do that. I just want the same right. I think tolerating each other's differences is a key part in teaching students how to become good citizens."

Sorrell said she would do the same thing again

Related Articles:
Teacher's job on the line [CNN]
Gay student disciplined for wearing T-shirts featuring gay pride messages [NY Times]