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Alexandria City High School student journalists are pushing back against a proposed policy that could give the principal final authority over what their newspaper, Theogony, publishes.
The dispute follows Theogony’s critical coverage of the “high school project,” an initiative that moves students among multiple campuses. Co-editor James Libresco said the reporting forced Alexandria City Public Schools to address problems it would have preferred to handle outside public view.
Students have responded with a counterproposal called “Voices Unbound.” It would place final publication decisions with the newspaper’s faculty adviser instead of the principal.
Casey Donahue argued that the adviser’s training in journalism and media ethics makes that person better qualified to guide the newspaper.
The administration’s draft policy establishes a review process for material that staff members believe may violate ACPS journalistic principles, policies or regulations. During a recent Governance Committee meeting, School Board member Tim Beaty supported giving the final decision to a principal or another administrator.
“What we are talking about here is where the buck stops,” Beaty said. “I think the buck should stop with the principal.”
Board member Abdulahi Abdalla opposed that approach, saying the faculty adviser has the relevant experience and training.
“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.”
School Board Chairwoman Michelle Rief defended the policies in a written statement, saying the division supports students and community members advocating for student voices. She maintained that neither the existing policy nor the proposal contains language censoring students.
All nine School Board members either declined interview requests or did not respond, and Rief declined multiple requests for an interview.
Press-freedom advocates say allowing administrators to block publication would undermine the independence of the student newspaper. Mike Hiestand, legal counsel for the Student Press Law Center, urged the board to reject the proposal if it wants students to learn the importance 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.”
An earlier draft also raised concerns about students contributing to publications outside the school system. It said students who used research conducted for an ACPS publication when contributing to outside media could lose their journalistic privileges.
Ian Kalish, an attorney with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a University of Virginia School of Law lecturer, said such a penalty could amount to retaliation for protected speech and raise significant First Amendment concerns.
That provision was removed from the latest version posted on the school division’s website. Libresco said its removal showed that community pressure was having an effect, though he argued the language should never have appeared in the proposal.
The “Voices Unbound” plan 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 supports the students. She said Theogony’s journalists have demonstrated the value of asking difficult questions, challenging public officials and encouraging the community to examine issues differently.
The Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association, whose members cover the governor and General Assembly, has joined the students’ supporters. Association president Charlotte Woods said young journalists need guidance, but the officials they cover should not be able to control stories about themselves.
“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.”