Vancouver student newspaper says school board policy unfairly restricts its freedom of expression
The Griffins’ Nest, an independent student newspaper based at Vancouver's Eric Hamber Secondary School, is calling on the Vancouver School Board (VSB) to amend some of its new policies.
The group believes the policies infringe on its rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and will have a big impact on what stories it can publish.
“It’s kind of ridiculous how much they’re willing to really suspend or how much they’re willing to sacrifice in lieu of students’ voices,” said Stephen Kosar, one of the newspaper’s student executive editors.
He said the school board has given the organization a hard time for previous stories it has published, most notably one that critiques the board’s decision to end a special education program.
Now, he said, the board has implemented new policies that can control club-related communication and social media.
Kosar's team is now worried this could limit their freedom of expression.
“It’s very clear these policies are inspired by us. I mean, as the people who, for fun, monitor the district’s agenda, we can’t think of anything else that might have – besides ourselves – that would have initiated a policy like this,” said Spencer Izen, the newspaper’s student editor-in-chief.
In a statement, the VSB said, in part, that its “administrative procedures do not contravene the Charter.”
"The district does not agree that there has been any censorship, or that the procedures in question are directed to censoring one student newspaper. The procedures are in place to ensure consistency amongst the hundreds of student clubs in the district,” the statement reads.
“I’ve heard that line," said Izen. "We’ve heard that from the Vancouver School District during their May 11 meeting.”
“That’s really not the case. A lot of those policies are really not what’s being employed,” he added.
Meghan McDermott of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) said this is the first time a case like this was brought to her attention.
“All of these laws are always subject to our Charter rights just by virtue of them being in our constitution. They’re a primary source of law. And they will always override the ability of any state official,” she told CTV News.
“It’s nice to know that they’re thinking about how the Charter plays into this," she continued. "Obviously, having consistency is, across organizations, a key goal for any particular policy. We would just question, you know, what’s the need for this one then?”
The BCCLA and the Canadian Association of Journalists wrote an open letter calling on the board to amend its policies as the organizations fear other school districts will follow suit.
“It’s also scary to think about how this can have a domino effect and encourage other public school districts to take a similar approach to how they treat their students,” said McDermott.
The VSB said it will be meeting with the students to hear their concerns, and while the students say they're hopeful for change, they expect more resistance from the board in the months to come.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.