Grand Island school to revive student newspaper after LGBT-focused issue

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – After shutting down its 54-year-old student newspaper, a Grand Island public school has reportedly agreed to publish it again next year.

In what some called an act of censorship, Northwest Public Schools eliminated the journalism program at its high school after an issue covering LGBTQ topics was published for Pride Month.

SEE ALSO: Grand Island school newspaper shut down after LGBT-focused issue

Kirsten Gilliland, adviser and teacher for the school’s newspaper program, told the Grand Island Independent last week that The Saga will return in the spring semester.

But when The Saga returns, it will be in a different format and without Gilliland at the helm.

The role of advising the newspaper and teaching journalism at the school “has been offered to another teacher,” Gilliland told the paper.

Saga staff were informed of the newspaper’s elimination on May 19, just three days after it had printed its June edition, which included an article titled “Pride and prejudice: LGBTQIA+” on the origins of Pride Month and the history of homophobia.

The issue also included an editorial opposing a Florida law that bans some lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity and that has been dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

The elimination of the paper also came a month after staff were reprimanded for publishing students’ preferred pronouns and names.

According to the Associated Press, district officials told students they could use only names assigned at birth going forward.

A May 22 email from a school employee canceling the paper’s printing services said it was “because the school board and superintendent are unhappy with the last issue’s editorial content.”

The Nebraska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday that it has been unable to confirm whether the student newspaper and a school teaching program associated with it have been reinstated.

Superintendent Jeff Edwards has not yet responded to requests for comment from media outlets.

Nebraska’s ACLU previously said it will be “exploring all available legal remedies” against the school district.

According to the AP, the ACLU recently received public records that were requested over the summer.

“We are going through those materials before preparing them for public release and making any decisions on next steps,” the organization said.