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Alexandria City High School journalists are pushing back against a proposed policy that could give their principal the final word over stories published in the student newspaper, Theogony.

The dispute emerged after the paper reported critically on the school division’s “high school project,” an ambitious effort to move students among multiple campuses. Theogony co-editor James Libresco said the coverage forced Alexandria City Public Schools to address problems it would have preferred to handle outside public view.

“The school system does not like that we’ve shed a light on some of the issues they are facing and that we’ve forced them to respond,” Libresco said. “They would rather operate in silence, which is why they are bringing forth this new regulation and policy.”

Student journalists have answered with a counterproposal called “Voices Unbound.” It would place final publication decisions with Theogony’s faculty adviser instead of the principal.

Student Casey Donahue argued that the adviser’s training in media and journalism ethics makes that person better equipped to guide the paper.

“We feel that the advisor provides us with guidance that a principal would not be able to give,” Donahue said.

Board members split over editorial authority

The administration’s draft establishes a review process for material that staff members believe may violate ACPS journalistic principles, policies or regulations.

At a recent School Board Governance Committee meeting, board member Tim Beaty said the principal or another administrator should make the final decision when questions arise.

“What we are talking about here is where the buck stops, who makes the final decision on something that’s in doubt,” Beaty said. “I think the buck should stop with the principal.”

Board member Abdulahi Abdalla opposed that approach. He said the faculty adviser has the relevant training and experience to decide what should be published.

“The principal can shut it down at the end of the day, and I don’t like that,” Abdalla said. “I don’t think the principal should have any say of editorial changes.”

All nine School Board members either declined interview requests or did not respond. Board Chairwoman Michelle Rief also declined multiple interview requests but provided a written statement.

“We support our students and the community in advocating for student voices,” Rief wrote. “It is important to emphasize that neither the current nor the proposed policy includes language that censors students.”

Press-freedom advocates contend that allowing administrators to block articles would undermine the newspaper’s independence. They say the faculty adviser, rather than an administrator whose actions may be covered by the paper, should oversee publication decisions.

Mike Hiestand, legal counsel for the Student Press Law Center, urged board members to consider whether their priority is protecting the district’s image or teaching students the value of a free press.

“If you’re really just concerned about district PR, then vote for this policy,” Hiestand said. “But if you’re looking to make sure that we are teaching the next generation about the importance of a free press, then you need to vote this policy down.”

Retaliation language removed from latest draft

An earlier proposal also addressed students who used research conducted for an ACPS publication when contributing to an outside news organization. It warned that those students could lose their journalistic privileges.

Ian Kalish, an attorney with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a lecturer at the University of Virginia School of Law, said such a penalty could violate students’ constitutional rights.

“It’s retaliation for protected speech,” Kalish said. “Depriving those students of the ability to do their journalism would raise significant First Amendment concerns.”

That provision was removed from the latest version posted on the school division’s website, although the board could revive it. Libresco said its removal showed that community pressure was having an effect, but he argued that the language should never have appeared in the proposal.

Students rally outside support

The “Voices Unbound” proposal has attracted support from the Student Press Law Center, National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association and Alexandria City High School Student Government Association.

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins also defended the students’ ability to question public institutions.

“Through Theogony, we have seen the power of what happens when our students have the ability to ask critical questions,” Gaskins said. “They have pushed us to think differently, and they have challenged us on different issues.”

The Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association, whose members cover the governor and General Assembly, is supporting the student journalists as well.

Association president Charlotte Woods, a Virginia Mercury reporter, said young journalists need guidance but should not be subject to editorial control by the same administrators they cover.

“Imagine if the governor or Senate and House leadership tried to tell us which stories about them or their work we could not write,” Woods said. “Our support for student journalists is not just supporting the future pipeline of this profession, it’s supporting the principles of the profession we chose.”