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    High School Yearbook Photo Flap Gets Mixed Parent Reactions

    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
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    Yearbook photos can be a touchy subject with parents. Recently, the yearbook staff at Durango High School in Colorado refused to publish a senior portrait of 18-year-old Sidney Spies. The student-run group declared the image inappropriate for a school publication, says the Durango Herald. Here are tips for parents about choosing school-friendly senior pictures.

    Issues with photo

    Spies submitted a photo of herself in a tight yellow mini-skirt and black "bandeau" style blouse, similar to a bikini bathing suit top. Her shoulders and midriff are revealed. The yearbook staff deemed the photo too racy for a student publication. Spies was told she could publish the photo in a paid-for student ad but not as her senior portrait. Editor Brian Jamarillo said "We are an award-winning yearbook. We don't want to diminish the quality with something that can be seen as unprofessional."

    Parent reactions

    The girl, along with her mother Miki Spies, spoke to NBC's Matt Lauer, saying the image is "artistic" and that not allowing her to display it in the school annual is a violation of Spies' freedom of speech. The girl and her parents fault school officials and a too-restrictive dress code, though yearbook editors have assured her that pulling the photo was their decision, says ABC News. The Spies family is meeting with an attorney to discuss their options and have been waving placards outside the school voicing their objections. Other parents have commented on the articles, saying they fully support the yearbook staff's decision not to run Spies' photo.

    Tips for parents about yearbook photos

    Senior photos aren't cheap. According to Minnesota's Senior Portraits Rochester, parents can expect to spend $300 to $1,000. One of the reasons parents have photos taken is so they can be published in the school yearbook. To that end, photographers advise families to familiarize themselves beforehand with school policies. Different schools have varying rules about what is acceptable for yearbook photos.

    Some schools allow only head shots with no hands in the photo. Others don't allow outdoor photos, special ops photos, props, hats or special effects. Most schools require dress code specifics be observed too. A read-through of the school handbook will generally provide all needed information for what's expected. Professionals suggest having at least one school-approved pose taken, regardless of what options are chosen for other photos.

    Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting from 23 years raising four children and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, home-school and adult education.

     

    49 comments

    • Dan  •  Eugene, Oregon  •  4 mths ago
      People who call this picture "artistic" are the same people who call strippers "exotic dancers".
      • gman 4 mths ago
        This is all about the mom, Miki, who is a lesbian and trying to bring gay rights to the forefront.
    • Confused  •  4 mths ago
      This all seems like a stunt by the parents and the kid to "Get Noticed" and maybe get some bit parts in Commercials, Reality or Magazines...Seems to be working...Interviews on TV, National Headlines...Hey parents may be trashy but smart and daughter pretty hot..Kinda like the Kardashian Mother did
      • Some Dude 4 mths ago
        And sadly they will succeed because most American consumers are just as trashy as this family!
      • Dovakhiin 4 mths ago
        This is what I've been saying....I agree. Free publicity. It's the only explanation, because if it's for any other reason it's ridiculous.
      • gman 4 mths ago
        This is all about the mom, Miki, who is a lesbian and trying to bring gay rights to the forefront.
    • Rick  •  Portage, Indiana  •  4 mths ago
      A future porn star? Really? Stars have talent! She is at best a third rate fill in for porn. Then again it might be the only thing the spoiled brat is good for, Great Parenting... "you can do anything you want hun"... jsut remember to use a condom!(unless bareback pays better) Maybe her mom is a troughy for her dad and serves no other purpose. Following in mom's career?
    • Michael O  •  San Bruno, California  •  4 mths ago
      Sidney, you have a phone call from Larry Flynt...
    • BobbyW  •  4 mths ago
      This is insane.

      They didn't stop her from expressing herself. They didn't petition the maker of street walker clothing to stop manufacturing them or try to close all of the gentlemen's "venues" she would feel right at home in. All they did was stop her "expression" from appearing on the pages of a book they are the editors for. They didn't do it because she is this color or that religion. They did it because they are trying to make a yearbook instead of a "top this" contest.

      Well done students and this mom should be ashamed.
    • Johnny5  •  4 mths ago
      Look, she can't dress like that for school, so why in the world would she think she could dress like that for a school photo? Seriously? All that's needed in that photo is a pole. Her parents need to be beaten with a copy of the school dress code until they are unconscious.
      • Mona Lisa Smile 4 mths ago
        ahahaha! "beaten with the school dress code" best laugh I've had all day. Perfect.
    • Sophia Ariana  •  4 mths ago
      Someday she'll thank the school for not posting it in the Year book. For now she's just nothing but naive. Poor parental guidance.
      • adarc 4 mths ago
        No , 20 years ago she would've thanked the yearbook, but now thanks to the Internet, her slutty little pic will live forever. So when her grandkids google grandma's maiden name - they'll get to see what was important to her at 18.
    • Duckman  •  4 mths ago
      The editors have been given the authority to decide the content of this publication. If a student wished to put a goofy picture in, they similarly have the authority to edit...
    • another anonymous  •  Rochester, New York  •  4 mths ago
      Schools should go back to the 'old' days when they had photographers come to the school and take pictures. No 'personal' pictures should be accepted. Yes, she will appreciate it when she is older but today's children only see today and not tomorrow. That's why so many are backpeddling to fix yesterday because tomorrow they won't get that job, into that school, that political position, etc.

      Bad parenting. She is being told everything she does is wonderful, she is perfect, and that she does nothing wrong. Only God/Jesus can say those things. NO ONE IS PERFECT nor should anyone be told they are! Only creates brats, stuckups, idiots, and makes them look like the donkey's A---- they are.
      • Plantman 4 mths ago
        This comment is fun!

        First comment I've seen that manages to name check God, Jesus, and donkey's A----, all in one paragraph, and doesn't sound sarcastic.

        Sorta sounds like a partial description of the nativity, now that I reread that list... just a joke, in case anyone's ready to get offended.
    • monkeybrains  •  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  •  4 mths ago
      violation of her free speech?? holy cow, thats a statement only the colossally stupid could make. im offended that they use the constitution to try to force their tart of a daughter down their communities throat. her and her mother should be tarred and feathered..yesterday.
    • HTNM  •  Chandler, Arizona  •  4 mths ago
      Hey...leave her alone...if she takes more pride in presenting herself like a prostitute/stripper piece of garbage, than a woman with self-respect, decency, integrity and dignity...let her show the world what she chooses to be most important to her life.

      And here's a bit of common sense for those who are too stupid and reckless to care...YOU represent your school AND YOUR choice in action and words AFFECT the image of your school where YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY STUDENT..SO GROW UP AND GET OVER YOURSELF NOW....wait until you get into the REAL WORLD where the planet in NO WAY revolves around your inexusable head.
    • banyanman  •  Nonthaburi, Thailand  •  4 mths ago
      Topless photo,s within the next few days?????
    • Proud American  •  4 mths ago
      She and her idiot parents have no standing whatsoever on this. If they can't read the school's dress code and code of student life/conduct code, who's fault is that? the school can choose to publish whatever they want. That's why there are people called "editors". Same as any newspaper or magazine.

      Besides, she's not really very hot at all. She didn't even need bother to cover her non-existent chest.
    • MARY ANN  •  4 mths ago
      Why not crop the picture leaving out the disrepuable parts of the picture. Every organization has the right to set boundaries for the pictures which represent them.
    • banyanman  •  4 mths ago
      You,ll see her topless in the next few weeks! Publicity seeking Tramp!! Her parents are even worse.
    • 1  •  Westland, Michigan  •  4 mths ago
      Ok Sidney get over yourself and growup, rules are in place for a reason, and your parents need to be slapped .
    • Eric Dekmar  •  Huntsville, Alabama  •  4 mths ago
      future porn star....mom will be he producer
    • Sarah  •  4 mths ago
      This girl again?? I thought her 15mins were over already.... yawn ....
    • JR  •  Norfolk, Virginia  •  4 mths ago
      Why is this getting so much attention, it's not artistic expression. It's just a self-absorbed individual who wants the attention of someone at her school or something. Like, here I want this picture of me dressed like a hooch in the yearbook please. Cause she knows that the way she is dressed is going to warrent the attention of people looking at it. You know that a yearbook is not just a book that is given to students, it's also given to teachers. It's not okay for a teacher to be friends with students on facebook, but they can just open up their yearbook to look at one of their half-naked students. Awesome! Also to claim that her rights are being violated is a little out there. She's 18 now if she wants that much exposure submit her picture to playboy or another publication where it's cool to be half-naked. Not a yearbook!!
    • David  •  Pleasanton, California  •  4 mths ago
      I would be concerned about anyone (the girl herself as well as her parents, included) who really thinks that this is OK ...
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