The student body of a school can be a powerful force. If there are things that need to be changed then there is no one better to ask about such problems than the many people who live in the environment every day. On March 6 and 13, students stood before the Minnesota House of Representatives and at the Educational Finance Committee to express their views on school publication rights and what more funding could help within our community.
Senior Editors-in-Chief Belle Lapos and Stella McHugh of the Pony Express stood before the state House in hopes of passing a new bill on school publication rights.
“I was already very familiar with the bill because I, along with Stella, had already done extensive research in both Newspaper and AP Gov so we were fully prepared,” Lapos said about speaking at the House Committee.
The bill in question would eliminate the practice of prior review where a school official can legally review and censor a school publication if they feel the material is not suitable for student audiences. With the bill passed school publications would revert back to what is called “Tinker Standard,” or a state before the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier decision was initially passed that allowed the publication to deem whether or not their material is appropriate.
“It clarifies permissions like what a student journalist is, what student media is and what an advisor is so it creates clear guidelines for students to go off of,” McHugh said. “It adds protection for students and advisors so they can’t be fired or punished for supporting school journalists.”
I was already very familiar with the bill because I, along with Stella, had already done extensive in both Newspaper and AP Gov so we were fully prepared.”
— Belle Lapos
Junior Surraane Fufa and other student council members stood before the Educational Finance Committee to share their opinions on aspects of school life and beyond that they thought could use more funding.
“Supporting students, on trips and such then better maintenance for instruments,” Fufa said about where they might start for more funding. Other concerns were addressed such as teacher pay, expanding the curriculum, and clubs.
When thinking about what to speak about Surraane and the other student council members took input from students in all kinds of clubs, programs, electives and teachers. This helped them present ideas with the intention to benefit all to the representatives at the state capitol.
“Then we were also talking about some funding money for BIPOC groups like BSU (Black Student Union), ASU (Asian Student Union), or any club in general,” Fufa said about where else more funding could go.
The student body can affect a school as much, if not more, than teachers, staff, or anyone else interesting in bringing change. With such proactive students voicing their thoughts on school funding and others on publication rights for all schools, change is being brought into our school. These students had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take action to get more funding and pass a bill to not just affect our local publication but others state-wide as well. Students like Lapos, McHugh and Fufa rise to the challenge of bringing positive change to our environment. It is because of people like them that things like this happen.
