Teenage Pregnancy Censorship: pARENT iNTERVIEWS
Here I asked parents what there thoughts were on teenage pregnancy being addressed in high school newspapers, and if they believed the topic to be a "legitimate pedagogical concern." Here are the responses I got.
"I believe that as a parent I want my child to be able to write about any topic. I understand why this topic is controversial and of course I don't want my child to be encouraged to promote teenage pregnancy, but I do not believe that that is what students are doing when they choose to write articles on teenage pregnancy. I believe that high school students should without a doubt be exposed to these kind of topics, and I feel as though the administration censoring these articles only causes more problems. It is clear that students feel as though their rights are being ignored and are fighting back, which I feel causes only more issues then just publishing a simple article. I do not believe the problem to be a "legitimate pedagogical concern," and if anything I believe it is a topic that should be addressed" (Danielle Bloch)
"I think that is a touchy subject for while I don't really want my child exposed to this kind of subject, I also don't want to shield him from the truth. Having a boy, I knew that I would have to teach my son to make good choices early on, for it is so easy to become caught up in the high school social life, and peer pressures. I wanted my son to know that he could come talk to me no matter what the situation, and that he should think of every action as having a repercussion. I can say that my son has done a wonderful job of making good decisions, but I know that some boys in high school don't necessarily make the best of choices. In regards to teenage pregnancy being written about in high schools, I think that it is appropriate and that schools should not be want to shield their students from this kind of exposure for if it is not talked about then students don't necessarily see the result of certain actions. High school is a time in which students should learn from one another, and having an article written about teenage pregnancy is only one way in which students can learn. I would not want my son to have his article censored because it was on teenage pregnancy especially if he was just informing others, and I think that the justification to why these articles are being censored if not right. It is not a "legitimate pedagogical concern," as you have mentioned to me, for it is not taking away from the learning environment, instead it is just enhancing it, and making it more well versed." (Anonymous)
"Student newspapers are probably the only avenue that teenagers have for expressing their views. What the Supreme Court has done is to give school officials the opportunity to cut off that avenue." (Mark Goodman)
"I think that is a touchy subject for while I don't really want my child exposed to this kind of subject, I also don't want to shield him from the truth. Having a boy, I knew that I would have to teach my son to make good choices early on, for it is so easy to become caught up in the high school social life, and peer pressures. I wanted my son to know that he could come talk to me no matter what the situation, and that he should think of every action as having a repercussion. I can say that my son has done a wonderful job of making good decisions, but I know that some boys in high school don't necessarily make the best of choices. In regards to teenage pregnancy being written about in high schools, I think that it is appropriate and that schools should not be want to shield their students from this kind of exposure for if it is not talked about then students don't necessarily see the result of certain actions. High school is a time in which students should learn from one another, and having an article written about teenage pregnancy is only one way in which students can learn. I would not want my son to have his article censored because it was on teenage pregnancy especially if he was just informing others, and I think that the justification to why these articles are being censored if not right. It is not a "legitimate pedagogical concern," as you have mentioned to me, for it is not taking away from the learning environment, instead it is just enhancing it, and making it more well versed." (Anonymous)
"Student newspapers are probably the only avenue that teenagers have for expressing their views. What the Supreme Court has done is to give school officials the opportunity to cut off that avenue." (Mark Goodman)