Some students in Montgomery County are gearing up to testify at the Board of Education meeting Thursday to address concerns over the superintendent’s response to an open letter concerning censorship of student publications.
Earlier this month, over 150 students and staff from all 25 high schools signed on to the open letter, which addressed a March memo sent by Chief of Schools Peter Moran that requires all schools to designate an administrator to review every “student publication and school-related printed material,” prior to publication.
Students and staff across the county immediately raised concerns over the memo’s use of vague language to describe content that administrators were instructed to censor outright. It listed language not found in prior policy, such as “embarrassing or private moments,” “ridicule of individuals or groups,” and “sarcasm or teasing that could be interpreted as bullying.”…