Should high school students be forced by the school board to print a word in their newspaper that they believe is racist? 

The Scoop

Editors at the Playwickian newspaper at Neshaminy High School in Pennsylvania voted last school year to ban the word "Redskins" in their student newspaper because they believe it's a racist term. 

People didn't like that:

• The high school's mascot for sports is the "Redskins"
• The principal and school board ordered the word must be allowed in advertisements and letters to the editor
• The student editors published a paper in June without a letter to the editor that used the offensive word
• The adviser and journalism teacher was suspended for two days -- Sept. 17-18, 2014 -- without pay for failing to prevent students from printing a copy of the June paper
• The newspaper's budget was docked $1,200 from its activity fund by the school this year
• The editor in chief, Gillian McGoldrick, has been "stripped of her title for September." (Thinkprogress, Sept. 19, 2014)

The Philadelphia Inquirer                 noted on Sept. 16, 2014: "The disciplinary actions appear to represent more ripples in a seemingly unending battle between administrators and members of Neshaminy's student newspaper, the Playwickian, over whether students can ban the name of the school mascot from the paper."

The student journalists and adviser at the Foothill Dragon Press have kicked off this fundraising campaign.

What We Need

We want to raise funds for the Playwickian newspaper students and adviser.  

• $1,200 to cover money docked from the Playwickian budget
• $1,200 to cover Adviser Tara Huber's two days of lost pay due to suspension 
• ?? to help with legal fees

The Impact

By donating, you simply are affirming the rights of high school student journalists:

• To decide what is offensive, racist or unwanted in their own publications

Some people won't like this campaign:

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, quoting the Playwickian editor in chief Reed Hennessy: 

"The sanctions... demonstrate 'that [administrators] really will do anything to protect their mascot or to control our paper." 

Some people in the Neshaminy High School community do not support these student journalists' right to not print a word they find offensive. 

• The school board
• The principal
• Members of the community

But the support base is strong:

If you can't help with a donation, you can: