Stockton Student Journalists Say They are Fighting Back Against District’s Censorship (FOX40)

Read the full article by Kay Recede at FOX40.com

STOCKTON -- A Stockton journalism teacher and her students say they are fighting for their voices to be heard.

What Bear Creek High School journalism students say they write about is not just for fun or practice. They say their stories help shine a light on real-life issues.

"If you try to silence students and their voice, they're going to fight back," said student editor Bailey Kirkeby.

Now, teenage journalists with the school’s newspaper, The Bruin Voice, are fighting to publish an article about an 18-year-old student who depends on the adult industry to make a living.

"I feel like this story really highlights this student's journey and how exactly she got to where she is," Kirkeby told FOX40.

"Story of a girl who is working legally, in a legal field, and she has every right to have her story told, and my students have every right to tell her story," said the high school's journalism adviser, Kathi Duffel.

Duffel said the Lodi Unified School District’s superintendent sent her a letter citing California law and demanding to read the article by the next day. The letter claims the student-written article may be "obscene."