Two openly gay students in the Kearney School District say their quotes were removed from the yearbook without warning. KCTV5 News went to the district to find out why.
The new yearbook for 2017 is hot off the press. Kearney High graduates Joey Slavinsky and Thomas Swartz submitted their senior quotes before graduation just like every senior, but the school removed them.
“I went to find my quote in the yearbook but, nothing was there,” Slavinsky said.
“It was a blank picture under my name,” Swartz said.
Both of the teens are openly gay and they each chose a quote they found funny and inspirational.
Slavinsky said, “Mine was, ‘Of course I dress well. I didn't spend all that time in the closet for nothing.’"
Swartz said his was, "If Harry Potter taught us anything, it’s that no one should have to live in the closet.”
The district deemed those quotes offensive.
Swartz and Slavinsky feel the district was wrong.
“I'm comfortable in my own skin and with who I am,” Slavinsky said. “It felt like the district took that from me.”
The Kearney School District said it has reached out to the boys and their families, and said that it didn't intend to offend them.
In a statement, district administrators explained their yearbook policy to KCTV5. They wrote:
Dear KHS Families, District administrators were made aware of concerns regarding the removal of senior quotes from the school yearbook. Each year, graduating seniors are provided an opportunity to pick a favorite quote to be placed in the yearbook. In an effort to protect our students, quotes that could potentially offend another student or groups of students are not published. It is the school’s practice to err on the side of caution. Doing so in this case had the unintentional consequence of offending the very students the practice was designed to protect. We sincerely apologize to those students. All KSD staff understand the importance of inclusion and acceptance especially in an educational setting. We work diligently to help every student feel safe, supported, and included. District staff participate in ongoing training around issues of diversity and support student organizations that do the same. That being said, we acknowledge our mistake and will use it as a learning opportunity to improve in the future. Sincerely, Dave Schwarzenbach KHS Principal Dr. Bill Nicely KSD Superintendent of Schools
“They need to know what they do is wrong,” Swartz said. “I want to tell my story about what happened.”
The two graduates plan to make stickers to insert their quips into their yearbooks and their friends' yearbooks.
“I'm proud to be from Kearney and I'm proud to be who I am,” Slavinsky said. “I'm just disappointed at what happened.”
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locks_are_paranoid on August 12nd, 2017 at 03:44 UTC »
My high school got really mad about a student who wrote:
"If you don't like a rule, follow it, reach the top, and then change it."
FaildAttempt on August 12nd, 2017 at 02:13 UTC »
Quotes Slavinsky said, “Mine was, ‘Of course I dress well. I didn't spend all that time in the closet for nothing.’"
Swartz said his was, "If Harry Potter taught us anything, it’s that no one should have to live in the closet.”
imakenosensetopeople on August 12nd, 2017 at 00:05 UTC »
Those quotes were funny. I've noticed that school districts rarely have a sense of humor.