Sun Outlawed In Ann Arbor Schools

Sun Outlawed in Ann Arbor Schools

As the people organize together and begin to take more and more control over their lives, the reactionary dinosaurs now in power get more freaked out and afraid in their futile efforts to bring the people under control. Such is the case with the Ann Arbor Schools as the administration continually tries to stop the organizing of the student unions and the righteous distribution of the people's press.

At the last meeting of the Ann Arbor School Board, a new policy was adopted concerning the distribution of written materials in the Ann Arbor Schools. The new policy states that any student who wishes to write and/or publish materials and to distribute them in the schools must sign an agreement to follow certain rules before any distribution of material takes place. The rules are: The Editorial Staff of the publication must all be students of the Ann Arbor Public Schools and shall be responsible for the contents of the publication. The names of the Editorial Staff must appear on each issue. Distributed materials must be written by members of the student body and/or faculty, with each article signed by the author. The signer of the agreement must still bear responsibility for any violation of laws relating to libel, pornography, obsenity, or plagiarism. No material shall contain deliberate misquotations, malicious ridicule, obsenity, or be in violation of any civil or criminal laws. The publication may be distributed only in study halls, in the commons, or in the halls immediately before or after school. Finally, that the prime purpose for publication not be advertising. A committee composed of five students, elected by the student body, and five faculty members, will decide if any of the rules have been violated.

Although not specifically mentioned, the Ann Arbor SUN and Youth Liberation are clearly the targets of this new policy. The School Board is really freaked out at the success of the organizers of the student unions and at the general spirit of freedom that exists among students as they refuse to allow the adminsitration control addicts to run their lives. They are especially pissed off at brother David Kamowitz, who is suing the principal and ass't. principal at Tappan Junior High School for denying the students their constitutional rights of organizing into unions and for assaulting David in an attempt to stop him from organizing the Tappan Student Union. (See issue 25 of the SUN for details)

This latest decision by the School Board is a blatant violation of Constitutional rights of both the students, who are being denied the right to read whatever literature they choose, and the right of publications like the SUN from freely distributing. The students and the SUN will continue to demand their rights of freedom of the press, taking the School Board to court if necessary. The SUN will continue to be distributed to the people who want to read it.

School officials get more freaked as the spirit of freedom spreads even to the elementary schools. Members of Youth Liberation were handing our SUNs to students at Burns Park School during recess. When the teachers saw this they tried to confiscate the papers from the students. Many of them stuffed the papers in their pants in attempt to smuggle them into the schools. The teachers got so paranoid that they searched the students as they returned to the building.

Both the Ann Arbor School Board and City Council are running scared as they see the success of the Human Rights Party in convincing people that they really do represent their interests. They are afraid about the City Council elections April 3 and the School Board elections in June. Despite their efforts to suppress the tide of freedom, the will of the people will win. The SUN will take further action and will keep people informed of future developments.

ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE'S PRESS. JOIN THE STUDNET UNIONS. ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!

--Mike Minnich, R.P.P.