Last fall, senior Brian Brochman thought it would be funny to don a Bill Clinton mask, a green thong and some running shoes and streak the homecoming pep rally at Stillwater Area High School (MN). After some detective work, school officials determined who it was and suspended Brochman for two weeks. End of story, right? Well, not exactly because the school allowed a picture of the incident to go into the school’s yearbook. When Brochman’s mommy saw it she was none too happy, calling school officials “hypocritical” for making such a big deal about it at the time, but then memorializing it for all time in the annual publication.

Jennifer Rolf was angry when Stillwater Area High School suspended her son for two weeks after he sprinted through last fall’s homecoming pep rally wearing a mask and a thong. She thought the punishment was extreme, but she let it go. It was over and done.

Her irritation resurfaced when Brian Brochman, a senior, brought home his yearbook. There on the two-page homecoming spread was a photo of him tearing across the gym in a Bill Clinton mask, an olive green thong and running shoes. “The part that really bothers me is that the school made such a big deal about it. They said it was an intolerable act (that) offended parents and staff,” Rolf said. “And here it is in the yearbook. I think it’s hypocritical.”

Principal Ryan Laager said the yearbook, like the school’s newspaper, is a student publication. The students decide what to publish, and there is no prior review. Advisers for the yearbook and paper do a good job of teaching kids about ethical standards, Laager said. The advisers lead the staff through decision-making, coaching them along the way. But ultimately, they let the students call the shots. “I didn’t know the streaking picture was going to be in there,” Laager said. “I would have preferred it not to be, but we don’t censor student publications.”

Source – Pioneer Press