The 14-year-old editor of a school newspaper has filed a lawsuit that accuses officials of violating his free-speech rights by controlling the paper’s content.
Dan Vagasky is seeking an unspecified amount of money and wants a federal judge to declare new publishing rules unconstitutional.
The Allegan County school district’s “actions are not based on any legitimate concerns regarding the quality or accuracy of the published articles,” asserts the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Grand Rapids. Instead, it says, they are based on a disagreement “with the content or point of view expressed.”
The controversy began when the Otsego Middle School principal told students they could not publish a story about a theft that occurred during an 8th-grade ski trip.
Haley Pierson, a reporter for the award-winning paper, the Bulldog Express, did not plan to name the student, who was accused of stealing key chains and sunglass straps.
The superintendent supported Principal Susan Minegar and later said the newspaper should emphasize good news. Minegar now must approve all story ideas.
