The Pleasant Valley School Board approved the new student-parent handbooks for 2023-2024 on an 8-1 vote Thursday night following a discussion about the high school newspaper.

Ordinarily, approving handbooks is not controversial, but this year the handbook for both the middle and high schools had several clubs crossed out, as if they were not going to be offered anymore.

At the high school items crossed out included the Bear Facts school newspaper; the school’s literary magazine, “The Scrivner”; three performing arts clubs: the Improv Club, Shakey’s Players and the Thespian Society; three academic clubs: Scholar’s Outreach, Model UN (United Nations), and Math Club; and the DOOS Club.

What wasn’t on the chopping block was the 18 sports-related clubs, plus several honor societies, music and the art-related clubs, academic clubs, leadership and community clubs, three diversity clubs, and a miscellaneous group including Chess Club, Yearbook, and the Drone Club.

Donna Yozwiak, a candidate for school board and former English and journalism teacher in the school district, said during the public comment, “Eliminating the newspaper is destructive to the school as it can be viewed as censorship.

“The student newspaper teaches students how to research, how to interview, how to report and how to compose news using proper grammar, following a style guide and the like. Student writing skills develop and improve as writing portfolios get a boost from all that is written throughout the year.”

Yozwiak said that if the school district doesn’t have an adviser for the club, then they shouldn’t assume no one will take the position.

“Post the job. You will have an applicant,” she said.

Later in the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Rae Lyn Howard said some of the clubs that had been crossed off will not be eliminated.

“(The strikethrough) will be removed until we review the supplemental contracts, and that will be revisited,” she said.

Newspaper class

School board director Teresa Greggo said the district is offering a class in journalism that will include the Bear Facts. She read the course description to the audience.

“This is an advanced course that concentrates on writing in a variety of modes for different purposes and audiences, such as in-depth news, features, and editorials. The course will teach students to observe, to interview, to research and to organize with a strong emphasis on critical thinking and reading. Students will also master the computer program InDesign and design each issue of the Bear Facts. All students will be expected to attend an after-school session once a week when needed.”

Greggo said the school board was told the Bear Facts will be an in-school class and will only meet after school if needed. She asked Superintendent James Konrad if that was correct.

Konrad said an employee who stays after school to work with students would be compensated for the work.

“That’s something again that high school administration then have to determine how frequently in the past those students have met and moving forward how frequently those students would need to meet, so obviously it’s hinged on the discussion about the different clubs that will be listed in the supplemental, which is to be determined at a later date,” Konrad said.

School board director Todd Kresge said he would not vote for the changes to the student handbooks.

“Until all the changes are made, I just don’t feel comfortable voting on something I don’t know on today,” he said.

John Gesiskie, of Chestnuthill Township, a former PV teacher and candidate for the school board, said during the second public comment period that he is concerned about requiring the journalism teacher to get authorization from the administration every time he or she wants the students to stay after school. He said he knows that sometimes schools want to “squash” things they don’t want getting out in the public.

“If I’m a teacher and I’m teaching the class and I want to go after school, and my administrator says basically no because he’s the one writing the observation, is that going to be a hindrance to our newspaper? Cause that’s my concern here,” Gesiskie said.

Digital version

Yozwiak then asked Konrad to simply say yes or no if the Bear Facts were going to be eliminated? He said no.

Konrad said, “I want to be very clear about this. The Bear Facts is not being eliminated. ... It is moving to digital. That should be very simple for people to understand. It’s part of the curriculum. It’s something we are looking to enhance. Obviously, trying to make it more modernized considering that all of our kids have Chromebooks. Wouldn’t it be nice to have them access that information?”

In an interview, Yozwiak said that the newspaper should be a club, not a journalism class. As a class, only the students who are in that class can participate in it. That leaves out students in other grades, as well as the students in the Bears Academy.

“A student newspaper should be open to everyone,” she said.