Mohawk approves updated internet policy to include hate speech
Dec. 23—Two Mohawk Area School Board members voted against updating a school policy on hate speech over fears of redundancy and the potential for censorship.
The board voted 7-2 on Dec. 12 to adopt two updated district policies on acceptable uses of the internet, computers and network resources by students and staff. The other policy dealt with suicide awareness, prevention and response.
Vice President Sherry Patton and board member Ian Baker took issue with the phrase "hate speech" that was added to the internet usage policy in their no votes. The United Nations defines hate speech as speech that attacks a group based on religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or another identity factor.
Superintendent Dr. Lorree Houk said the policy revisions were a recommendation from the Pennsylvania School Board Association to conform to current legal requirements. Building principals will enforce the policies.
"I was against the term 'hate speech' used in the internet usage policy because its vagueness gives unchecked power to the administration to silence opinions that they define as 'problematic,'" Baker said. "It's already been used in our culture to censor information. It's redundant given the references cite the term meaning discrimination, but the list of inappropriate subject areas already has discrimination and harassment in it."
Baker said he asked multiple times for clarification on how hate speech isn't already covered by other policies and for a definition of it, but received no answers.
"I'm a huge advocate for diversity of thought," he said. "Students should be able to research all perspectives and hash out ideas in pursuit of objective truth. I believe that schools should teach students critical thinking skills in preparation for this pursuit and not teach them how or what to think."
Patton felt similarly, stating the hate speech provision was not necessary when other words — lewd, vulgar, profane, threatening, harassment, bullying, terroristic, discriminatory, offensive and hate mail — in the policy covered the same matter.
"Additionally, given that there is no set definition for what exactly constitutes hate speech, the term is subjective and nebulous," Patton said. "The term hate speech can be used as an avenue to shut down ideas, facts or political speech that the arbiters disagree with."
Added Patton: "The term hate speech has been weaponized in our society at large recently, censoring information ranging from how to handle COVID, facts on environmental issues, election integrity or access to accurate views of political candidates. I do not want this to spill over into our schools. Our students should be free to access all sides of current issues."
Three area pastors from three respective Presbyterian USA denominations asked the board to adopt the revised internet policy to protect students from hate speech.
In other district news, two senior art students, Kiran Banks and Khya Kumrow, recently created a mural for an English classroom at the high school with help from Presley Hairhoger and Ella Baney.
The main focus of the mural is the closing scene from the novel "The Catcher in the Rye" where the character Holden is watching his sister on the carousel. There are other references to other books that were read in the classroom in the mural.
The cast and crew of the most recent junior high musical, Finding Nemo Jr., entered into the Adopt An Animal program at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, adopting a sea turtle in their name.
This donation and participation in the program allows the zoo to help provide food, enrichment and medical care for the turtle, as well as continued conservation, education and ongoing revitalization projects at the facility.
