W-b Area School Board 
Board Approves Budget With 7-mill Tax Increase

90-mile Chase Ends In Arrest

By TOM JOHANNINGMEIER; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Tuesday, June 25, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





PLYMOUTH -- Flip through the pages of Interim and you'll be taken inside
the minds of some of the most creative students at Wyoming Valley West High
School, say editors of the student literary magazine. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 From Sarah Blannett's poem, "Inside the Statistic," which deals with date
rape: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Come on Laura, give it up. I know you want it too." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "No Chad, I don't! Get off of me. Goddammit that's not true!" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ... On Monday he stopped her in the hall and whispered in her ear, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They won't believe you Laura, don't tell, you've got nothing to fear." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Laura told no one what happened, remained filled with denial and fright. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And Chad, well Chad asked out Rebecca for the following Friday night." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Through poetry, short stories, essays and art work, students share their
feelings on friendship and growing up. They also delve into their deepest
fears. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That, student editors say, is what makes Interim so compelling and why it
has a reputation as one of the best student literary magazines in the state. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the candid prose and coarse language has also brought complaints from
some parents, teachers and board members, who say the content is inappropriate
for children and that the magazine ought to meet basic standards of decency. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last week, the controversy cost Thomas Jones, the magazine's adviser, his
extra-curricular post that pays $1,700 a year. Jones, a creative writing
teacher, declined comment. Acting Superintendent Andrew Marko could not be
reached for comment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some board members hope a new adviser will place a few limits on the
magazine. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I thought the writing was interesting," said board President Neil
McAndrew. "The only part I really objected to was the language that was used
in some articles." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The issue begs the question: Can boundaries be placed on a high school
literary magazine without trampling creativity, students' rights to express
themselves and the First Amendment? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Students and free-speech advocates say no. How can teens write passionately
if they can't write about what they feel? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "As teachers, the ideal is to try to get students to open up," said Louis
Rader, a professor of English at King's College. "To put limits on what they
can talk about, by definition, they can't open up." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Educators say that some limits might be necessary, but that can be
difficult, since what might be offensive to one person won't be to another. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 R.B. Quinn, the legal director of the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center
at Vanderbilt University, says teachers and administrators tend to clamp down
when students tackle touchy subjects. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's not unusual for a teacher to be relieved from duty when there's some
controversial issues," he said. "The court has upheld the ability to do that." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Rader, who worked with Jones several years ago when the Valley West
teacher worked part-time at the college, said the board overreacted. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's incredibly unjust," Rader said. "They owe him a great deal of
gratitude for getting kids to express their feelings. How do we deal with drug
problems if we don't know that kids are involved in drugs?" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Former students say the magazine won't be the same without Jones, who they
remember for his passion for the arts and humanities. Many say he has been one
of their greatest influences. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He had a profound impact on other students," said Susan Chernesky, 18, a
writing major at LaSalle University and former copy editor of Interim. "I took
his classes purposely. He taught me how to write, how to analyze literature,
how to be creative." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Said Joshua Thomas, the magazine's editor who graduated earlier this month:
"He always tried to get students to reach their fullest potential and explore
things." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Former Interim staffers credited Jones' hands-off style for the magazine's
diversity, honesty and a string of statewide awards from the Pennsylvania
Scholastic Press Association. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thomas said Jones offered students guidance and support and ensured the
process was fair. A 16-student editorial board decided the content based on a
criteria established by the National Council of Teachers of English. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The book is a showcase; it highlights the best creative work of the
students of the building and whatever's on their minds," said Thomas, 18, who
plans to attend Dartmouth College in the fall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This year, students chose to deal with drug abuse, teenage suicide and
child abuse, among other things. They say the offensive language was used
within the context of the characters and to drive home points. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 School Board member Paul Cwalina said he received no complaints and didn't
feel the magazine's content was grounds for Jones' dismissal. But he does
advocate placing limits on the writers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Part of the problem is the magazine is distributed to middle and
elementary schools," he said. But even if the Interim were only given to
high-schoolers, Cwalina said he would support limits. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He fears that without limits, students would try to "push the envelope to
challenge the board." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Says McAndrew, the board president: "I don't mean to control the content,
subject matter in any way. ... I don't want them using any word I can't use at
a school board meeting." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Quinn, of the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, believes the bigger
problem is self-censorship. "Students want to get published. They'll keep
their ideas in check." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thomas fears the magazine's quality will suffer without students having the
freedom to fully express themselves. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's easy to write flowery, making everything romantic," he said. "I hope
it doesn't get reduced to that. The powerful pieces make it stand out. To lose
that is to compromise the essence of why the magazine exists." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wvw Students' Literary Style Could Be Cramped In Interim At Issue Is Whether Content Of Admired Student Publication Ought To Be Toned Down