A Pewaukee student tried writing about sex education for the school magazine. Then the district intervened

Fresh off of finishing her high school health class, Kiley Clarquist wanted to write about the abstinence-based sexual education unit for her school magazine.

What followed, Clarquist said, was school leaders meeting with the magazine's faculty adviser, an administrative review of the opinion article she drafted and a published story much softer than the sophomore had intended.

"It felt like they took the pen out of my hands, and it wasn’t my story," said Clarquist, now a 17-year-old senior at Pewaukee High School.

Clarquist's experience illustrates the roadblocks student journalists can face while reporting for their student publications.

The First Amendment guarantees a free, independent press, but a 1988 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court created an exception for student journalists. The Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier ruling allows school officials to prevent publishing articles it deems inappropriate when student media is sponsored by the school.

A bipartisan bill working its way through the state Legislature would prevent public schools, colleges and universities from interfering or censoring student media. Exceptions would be made for stories considered libelous, obscene, constituting an invasion of privacy or violating state or federal law. Under the bill, schools could not discipline students and their advisers for their work, and must create an appeal process for when disputes arise.

If passed, the bill would bring Wisconsin in line with 17 other states that have passed anti-Hazelwood laws, according to the Student Press Law Center.

"The bill would have given me legislative support to back up what was real journalism," Clarquist said. "The ideas I was expressing, I should have been able to express them."

Campaign to protect student journalists led by Stoughton teen

Spearheading the effort is Stoughton High School junior Simon Mehring. He said he hasn't faced censorship while writing for his school paper, but was troubled by the idea of being less constitutionally protected than his peers simply because of his status as a student reporter.

Over the past year, Mehring met with dozens of lawmakers, school officials and Gov. Tony Evers' office. The minimal opposition he said he's faced has come from schools.

"A lot of school administrators want to keep their power to censor, with zero repercussions," said Mehring, 16. "I think that idea is dangerous. This (bill) puts student journalists on the same professional playing field as professional journalists."

The University of Wisconsin system supports the intent of the bill but fears it may create more administrative oversight than the policy currently in place, which already gives student media independence. UW System vice president Jeff Buhrandt suggested separating K-12 and higher education institutions into two bills.

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards declined to comment on the bill.

State senators signaled support for the bill during a committee hearing Tuesday. The Assembly approved the bill, 98-0, last month.

Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, one of the bill's lead sponsors, said he thought the legislation would get some bipartisan support but didn't expect it'd be quite as strong as it was.

Evers supports the "critical work of student journalists across our state" and would sign the current version of the bill if it reaches his desk, spokesperson Britt Cudaback said.

Fond du Lac episode illustrates importance of bill, teacher says

Fond du Lac High School journalism teacher Matthew Smith said the bill is desperately needed. In 2014, a student of his published a story about the school's casual attitude toward rape. It included interviews with three students who were sexual assault victims.

The response was overwhelming. A teacher disclosed her own story of sexual violence to the reporter. Others discussed it in class. A local victims group reported a significant increase in calls and walk-in visits after the article published.

A month later, the superintendent imposed a censorship policy. It failed "on every level," said Smith. "We were teaching them to not ask questions, to not investigate."

More than 5,000 signed a petition calling out the district's response. Protests ensued, as did a school sit-in. Within months, the policy ended.

Smith said his student reporters currently do not face restriction but as president of the Wisconsin Journalism Education Association, he hears from plenty who do.

In West Bend, a period where students were prevented from writing about controversial topics

Take Lauren Sorensen, for example. She tried reporting on a West Bend High School teacher abruptly put on leave in 2016. In response, she said, she was called to the principal's office and told she couldn't cover the story because it was a personnel issue.

Another of her story ideas focused on a potential overhaul of the English curriculum. The superintendent told her it wasn't a topic of student interest, she recalled. Sorensen said she tried pressing him on the logic and was told the paper should write "good" stories.

"I did the best I could as a 17-year-old to advocate for students and myself, and try to convey that these were student stories," she said. "But at the end of the day, a 17-year-old student is pretty powerless against a principal and superintendent."

When schools encourage students to write only about "positive" news, Sorensen said, it shows how out of touch the district can be with student concerns and their ability to think critically about controversial matters.

Both the superintendent and principal at the time have since left the district.

Current superintendent Jennifer Wimmer said administrators have a positive relationship with student reporters and their faculty adviser. No administrators review student articles before publication nor do they make suggestions on what can or cannot be written, she said. Students pick their own stories, with support from the adviser.

Pewaukee School District responds to student journalist's experience

In the Pewaukee School District, after Clarquist felt pressured to tone down her story on sexual education, she said school leaders started requiring all student work to be submitted for approval.

District policy gives administrators editorial control. Work deemed inappropriate or causing a substantial disruption may be withheld.

To ensure students are using balanced and quality sources in their reporting, teachers provide oversight. Administrators may, as well, depending on the topic, Pewaukee Superintendent Mike Cady said. The student magazine has done "a wonderful job" and published several controversial stories. He said he was sorry to hear Clarquist felt stifled.

In what Clarquist saw as an olive branch, the district invited her to join a committee providing feedback on the sexual education curriculum to the school board.

The district's stance toward student media still seems primarily concerned with quelling potentially negative community reaction, Clarquist said, though the relationship between student journalists and school leaders has improved over the past year. That's at least in part because she's played it safe with her stories, penning one on backpack policy and another on senior pranks.

Clarquist looks forward to college next fall at UW-River Falls. She's sure of two things: studying journalism and joining the student paper.

Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyMeyerhofer.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bill would protect Wisconsin student journalists from school censorship