Neshaminy Student Journalists Being Honored By Pennsylvania ACLU
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says it will recognize some young civil libertarians from our area at its Bill of Rights dinner next month.
The Neshaminy High School newspaper editorial board members, who fought to ban the word "Redskins" from the paper, are among the honorees.
The ACLU's Sara Mullen says the school newspaper's student staffers found the phrase to be racially insensitive, then showed they had the right stuff in going toe-to-toe with the Neshaminy school board.
"Part of the goal of education is to teach students to think for themselves," Mullen points out.
The students wanted to stop using the name of the school mascot in stories, but the school board ultimately voted to allow students to edit out the word from news stories printed in the high school paper but not editorials or opinion columns.
"We think it showed great courage in standing up for their rights as student journalists," Mullen said today. "They stuck to it, and we think that's admirable."
Other honorees include clients and lawyers involved in lawsuits over the legalization of same-sex marriage and the fight over blocking Pennsylvania's voter ID law.
