Arkansas High School Suspends Student Paper For Publishing 'Disruptive' Investigation Into Shady Football Transfers
Halle Roberts is the editor-in-chief of the Har-Ber Herald, the school newspaper for Springdale High School in Arkansas. The 17-year-old student was suspended after she wrote an investigative piece criticizing the transfer of five football players to a rival school.
Players are not allowed to be transferred to a different school because they would like to play for a different team. They are allowed to transfer only for academic reasons. So Roberts got to digging. Her paper filed FOIA requests and received official information from the Arkansas Activities Association saying that the students were transferred for academic reasons. However, the students themselves said otherwise.
Roberts quoted one student in her paper saying:
"We just want to go over there because we have a better chance of getting scholarships and playing at D1."
Another student told Roberts:
"I just feel like it's better for my future to go out there and get college looks."
Soon after the report was published, the superintendent of the district, Jim Rollins, asked the teacher advisor for the school paper, Karla Sprague, to take the story down. She obliged.
Rollins wrote a letter stating that the piece was:
"intentionally negative, demeaning, derogatory, hurtful and potentially harmful to the students addressed in those articles."
Roberts, undeterred, is still working on a new edition of the story that includes the school's censorship.
Mike Hiestand of the Student Press Law Center had this to say:
"School officials at this point seem to me to have completely thrown up their hands and said, ‘we’re not going to l… https://t.co/PgVYFlVAlM— Amber Jamieson (@Amber Jamieson) 1543687827.0
And Halle Roberts, who dreams of being an ESPN reporter, stated:
“They are like ‘well you raised an uproar, we’re going to try and silence you,’” said Halle Roberts, 17, the editor… https://t.co/6dKFeF0so4— Amber Jamieson (@Amber Jamieson) 1543690272.0
People were impressed with Roberts.
@hallecole21 @BuzzFeedNews I'm so proud of you! You're not just fighting for yourself, you're fighting for student… https://t.co/hjVIvzstZ1— 🌺Lisa Daily is writing⛱ (@🌺Lisa Daily is writing⛱) 1543718652.0
@hallecole21 @BuzzFeedNews I shared your story on my Facebook page and am so proud of you kids for telling the stor… https://t.co/9gekpHSwey— Derryl Trujillo (@Derryl Trujillo) 1543694164.0
@hallecole21 @BuzzFeedNews Keep up the fight Halle!!— Katie Maner (@Katie Maner) 1543762811.0
Some had harsh words for the school's administration.
@BuzzFeedNews @KatinaParon The principal and the superintendent should be fired, not the teacher. And the students… https://t.co/AfE6JTmowp— Jody Beck (@Jody Beck) 1543754569.0
@ambiej @BuzzFeedNews Abuse of power by the school administration— Lovehersports50 (@Lovehersports50) 1543686742.0
@ambiej Hey @sdaleschools School board members. Why are you allowing Arkansas Har-Ber High School Principal Paul Gr… https://t.co/8pdT0St1FO— Nancy Levine (@Nancy Levine) 1543693785.0
And most had high praise for Roberts and the other student journalists working on this piece.
A great example of investigate student journalism, and why it needs more recognition. https://t.co/s4MBLn0HiN— Gabija Gataveckaitė (@Gabija Gataveckaitė) 1543692451.0
Much to appreciate about @ambiej’s reporting on this Arkansas school district’s effort to suppress a high school pa… https://t.co/fIk5vTaWCZ— Pat Berry (@Pat Berry) 1543688372.0
High school students do real journalism, school district immediately tries to shut them down, despite state law gua… https://t.co/HqOgXTv1bl— Jeff Amy (@Jeff Amy) 1543692270.0
Oh this is the good stuff. I love this editor. Great work. Stand for journalists. https://t.co/QlrTTzrqs8— Scott Lewis (@Scott Lewis) 1543693549.0
And Halle Roberts herself closed by saying:
thank you so much. #freedomofthepress https://t.co/LsjWT7nycD— halle roberts (@halle roberts) 1543685392.0
Fight on, Halle!
Gordon Ramsey Fans Reveal The Foods They Wish He Could Make Illegal
[rebelmouse-image 18350345 is_animated_gif=If Gordon Ramsey wins the 2020 presidential elections, pineapple on pizza will surely be deemed illegal. If you have ever watched him on TV, Ramsey has a thing for Lamb Sauce, and it better be on time and in abundance! These are just a few examples of food items and circumstances surrounding food that would just not fly if Gordon Ramsey was POTUS, in fact they would be illegal! This got people wondering what other food legislation he would have in store for us if he had his way.
Reddit user Snow776 asks,
This should be interesting!
Who likes garnishes anyway?
[rebelmouse-image 18350346 is_animated_gif=Inedible garnish is now considered a crime akin to assault.
Arguably the single most important skill in cooking
[rebelmouse-image 18350347 is_animated_gif=Egg cooking would be taught from kindergarten till middle school and intermittently tested on until you graduate.
You should not feel lost trying to order your dinner.
[rebelmouse-image 18350348 is_animated_gif=Any menu over 4 pages will be declared illegal.
It's important to stay authentic
[rebelmouse-image 18350349 is_animated_gif=It becomes illegal to call it shepherds pie if it's made with beef instead of lamb.
It must be done correctly!
[rebelmouse-image 18350350 is_animated_gif=Any type of meat that is frozen and then quickly warmed up is punishable by death.
No more corners will be cut
[rebelmouse-image 18350351 is_animated_gif=Microwaves are now illegal in restaurants.
An abundance of sauce, particularly of the lamb kind
[rebelmouse-image 18350352 is_animated_gif=Lamb sauce fountains on every street corner
No matter what the new law is, we have got to keep it fair
[rebelmouse-image 18350353 is_animated_gif=Any restaurant serving heavily fried food while be invaded for their oil reserves.
How much char do you want on the steak?
[rebelmouse-image 18350354 is_animated_gif=Well-done steak is now a federal offence.
Public humiliation for chefs who don't know their basics
[rebelmouse-image 18347243 is_animated_gif=Every single restaurant must serve beef wellington and Risotto, if either is undercooked the chef has to personally bend over your table and take a spanking.
That one time when you took the chicken out of the oven early and it sent you to jail
[rebelmouse-image 18350355 is_animated_gif=Serving raw chicken is an automatic establishment closure and 5y in jail
things might get a little more serious with the outdated grade sign on the window.
[rebelmouse-image 18350356 is_animated_gif=Restaurant health standards will sky rocket, and grade F will stand for Federal offence. There will be an official way to cook a steak. There is now a black market for ketchup.
Wait, that's legal? *gasp*
[rebelmouse-image 18350357 is_animated_gif=My dad is thrown in jail for his crimes against food
Eating a hot dog bun with only barbecue sauce on it. Putting jalapeños in his brown beans. Putting warm milk on his cereal (and then letting it soak and get all soggy). Eating uncooked noodles, or over cooking them on purpose. Dips bananas in hot sauce
The man is practically a felon
Closed-mindedness never got anyone anywhere, but they do have a point
[rebelmouse-image 18350358 is_animated_gif=Deconstructed food and hipsters aren't allowed on the restaurant premises.
Violence is never the answer, but again it's a good point
[rebelmouse-image 18350360 is_animated_gif=If it's not served on a plate, the chef gets beaten in the face with what ever ridiculous thing they served it on instead.
Food fixes everything, right?
[rebelmouse-image 18350361 is_animated_gif=All worlds disputes will be solved by cooking competitions
With all this legislative power, we could make so much free to everyone
[rebelmouse-image 18350362 is_animated_gif=Sonic Cherry Limeades are now FREE
We should also reconsider how we see our food
[rebelmouse-image 18350363 is_animated_gif=Tacos are considered sandwiches.
Less processed foods would be a truly great adaptation for all of us
[rebelmouse-image 18350364 is_animated_gif=If the President somehow did Congress's job without their interference or involvement? Well, first off, Ramsey'd probably be using the Food and Drug Act to create a standard for pizza that excludes pineapple as a topping. Digging into that, he'd figure out how totally f* that decrepit law is, and he'd probably re-focus on sorting it out a bit, especially advertising around food and the definitions themselves. I would imagine he would push the food clauses far away from processed foods. He's a problem-solver by nature and I just don't think he could dig into that legislation without wanting to improve it as a whole.
These are probably the top two things Gordon Ramsey would deem felonies
[rebelmouse-image 18350365 is_animated_gif=I would join the pineapple pizza resistance.
Runny scrambled eggs are now a felony.