Student Can Recite Poem With Profanity - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

bossradio93 · 04-15-2006, 02:16 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060414/...poetic_justice

Student Can Recite Poem With Profanity

By SANDRA CHEREB, Associated Press Writer

Fri Apr 14, 1:15 AM ET

RENO, Nev. - A federal judge gave a ninth-grader permission Thursday to recite a poem at a state competition that his school objected to, claiming it contained profanity.

The words "hell" and "damn" in W.H. Auden's "The More Loving One," do not constitute offensive language that could disrupt the school's educational priorities, said U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval.

He issued a temporary restraining order sought by Jacob Behymer-Smith, 14, after school administrators at the Coral Academy of Science told him he could not use the poem in future competitions.

The teen intends to recite it April 22 during Poetry Out Loud, a contest sponsored by the National Endowment of the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

In granting the injunction, Sandoval said there was "a total absence of any evidence" that the school's prohibition was legal under the U.S. Constitution and that the teen likely would be able to prove his First Amendment rights were being violated.

Academy attorney John Ohlson said Sandoval's ruling was not unexpected. He had argued the issue was not about free speech, but the schools' ability to set educational standards.

Behymer-Smith selected his poem from an anthology of preapproved works by contest sponsors.

A day after he recited the poem at a district contest April 5, academy human resources dean Steven West reprimanded his English teacher and others for the performance. West then told the teen to select another poem because the Auden work contained profanity, according to court documents.

In a hearing Wednesday, the teen told the judge he's practiced the poem twice a day for two months, and that forcing him to choose another would be unfair.

Yahoo! News/AP-April 14, 2006

ABlairican Pie · 04-15-2006, 08:29 AM

W. H. Auden? Gee, I thought it was someone really controversial like Allen Ginsburg and "Howl".

About ten years ago the "Christian" university that I went to in the 80's, Seattle Pacific University, fired a literature professor for publishing a poem with (tasteful) "erotic" content.

04-15-2006, 02:16 AM	#1
bossradio93 Senior Member Game Show Fanatic! Join Date: Nov 01, 2004 Location: Bellflower, California Posts: 2,378	Student Can Recite Poem With Profanity http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060414/...poetic_justice Student Can Recite Poem With Profanity By SANDRA CHEREB, Associated Press Writer Fri Apr 14, 1:15 AM ET RENO, Nev. - A federal judge gave a ninth-grader permission Thursday to recite a poem at a state competition that his school objected to, claiming it contained profanity. The words "hell" and "damn" in W.H. Auden's "The More Loving One," do not constitute offensive language that could disrupt the school's educational priorities, said U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval. He issued a temporary restraining order sought by Jacob Behymer-Smith, 14, after school administrators at the Coral Academy of Science told him he could not use the poem in future competitions. The teen intends to recite it April 22 during Poetry Out Loud, a contest sponsored by the National Endowment of the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. In granting the injunction, Sandoval said there was "a total absence of any evidence" that the school's prohibition was legal under the U.S. Constitution and that the teen likely would be able to prove his First Amendment rights were being violated. Academy attorney John Ohlson said Sandoval's ruling was not unexpected. He had argued the issue was not about free speech, but the schools' ability to set educational standards. Behymer-Smith selected his poem from an anthology of preapproved works by contest sponsors. A day after he recited the poem at a district contest April 5, academy human resources dean Steven West reprimanded his English teacher and others for the performance. West then told the teen to select another poem because the Auden work contained profanity, according to court documents. In a hearing Wednesday, the teen told the judge he's practiced the poem twice a day for two months, and that forcing him to choose another would be unfair. Yahoo! News/AP-April 14, 2006 __________________ HBO Documentary: Left of the Dial: Grade: B+ "Morals aren't supposed to stop because it's politically inconvenient to continue them." Keith Olbermann - *Countdown with Keith Olbermann* April 22, 2009 (MSNBC) UPCOMING DVD RELEASES June 16, 2009: The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 6 Star Trek coming to KDOC-TV Monday May 4 @ 9:00pm Farewell KNX/CBS Columbia Square (April 30, 1938-August 12, 2005). Thanks for 67 great years of information and entertainment. My DVD Collection

04-15-2006, 08:29 AM	#2
ABlairican Pie Forum Celebrity Viking metal rules. \m/ \m/ Join Date: Dec 12, 2001 Location: Celebrating the holiest holiday of the year, Monday, June 6, as we honor Slayer and all metal, with plenty of pizza, beer, and sacrificial goats. Life is good. Posts: 27,073	W. H. Auden? Gee, I thought it was someone really controversial like Allen Ginsburg and "Howl". About ten years ago the "Christian" university that I went to in the 80's, Seattle Pacific University, fired a literature professor for publishing a poem with (tasteful) "erotic" content. __________________ Weights. Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Banana Oatmeal. Metal. Life is good.

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