Lyman High School yearbooks under review again after parents call LGBTQ+ pages 'inappropriate'

EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TOMORROW. YEARBOOKS AT LYMAN HIGH SCHOOL ARE ONCE AGAIN UNDER DISTRICT REVIEW AFTER SOME PARENTS SAY A FEATURED LGBTQ USE SPREAD WAS INAPPROPRIATE. WHAT’S TO SAY THAT YOU EVER GET, I GUESS, IS LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL WITH WHAT THE SUPERINTENDENT IS SAYING AND HOW THE YEARBOOK TEAM IS REACT TONIGHT. WE’RE TOLD STUDENTS RECEIVED THE YEARBOOKS WEEKS AGO, BUT YESTERDAY THE SUPERINTENDENT SENT AN EMAIL TO PARENTS ADDRESSING REPORTED CONCERNS OVER TWO PAGES THAT FEATURE LGBT Q DEFINITIONS AND PERSONAL STORIES FROM QUEER STUDENTS. WE CANNOT TAKE AWAY THAT FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT. LYMAN HIGH

SCHOOL STUDENTS STOOD UP AGAINST THE SCHOOL BOARD LAST YEAR AFTER IT TRIED COVERING UP YEARBOOK IMAGES OF STUDENTS PROTESTING FLORIDA’S SO-CALLED DON’T SAY GAY LAW. IN THE END, THE SCHOOL BOARD VOTED TO KEEP THE IMAGES WERE STICKER DISCLAIMERS. FAST FORWARD A YEAR LATER. I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER BEEN THIS AGGRAVATED BEFORE. THE YEARBOOKS ARE ONCE AGAIN SPARKING DEBATES. IT’S REALLY DISHEARTENING BECAUSE I THOUGHT, OKAY, MAYBE WE LEARN SOMETHING FROM THAT IN A DISTRICT WIDE EMAIL. WEDNESDAY, THE SUPERINTENDENT SAID A FEW PARENTS AND STUDENTS REPORTED A TWO PAGE SPREAD AS INAPPROPRIATE. WE PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON TELLING

INDIVIDUAL STORIES. THIS IS WHAT SPARKED THE CONTROVERSY. THE WORDS TO LIVE BY. QUEER, LESBIAN AND GAY PARENTS ARE GIVEN THE OPTION TO EITHER RETURN THE

YEARBOOK FOR A FULL REFUND OR EXCHANGE IT FOR A REPRINTS AND VERSION THAT REMOVES THE PAGES IN QUESTION. THIS YEAR, OUR PRINCIPAL REVIEWED IT. LYMAN HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER DANIELLE POMERANZ IS THE ADVISER FOR THE YEARBOOK TEAM. WE HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE FACT THAT THEY’RE WILLING TO SILENCE THE LGBT COMMUNITY, LIKE OUR QUEER STUDENTS ARE AT LYMAN HIGH SCHOOL. THEY DESERVE TO BE PICTURED IN THE YEARBOOK JUST AS MUCH

AS ANY. THE OTHER STUDENTS. THE EDITOR IN CHIEF, SARA WARD, SAYS, LIKE EVERY YEAR, THEIR GOAL IS TO EDUCATE AND TO SHOW INCLUSION AND IT FEELS LIKE THAT’S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO DO. SO I FEAR FOR THE PEOPLE THAT COME AFTER, AND I HOPE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO DO THIS SPREAD. FLORIDA BOARD OF EDUCATION RECENTLY VOTED TO EXPAND THE SO-CALLED DON’T SAY GAY LAW TO HIGH SCHOOLS. THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS YEARBOOKS ARE SCHOOL SPONSORED STUDENT PUBLICATIONS AND THAT THEY HAVE TO BE REVIEWED BY THE SCHOOL BEFORE THEY ARE PUBLISHED. REPORTING LIVE I