Florida school pauses yearbook distribution because of Black Lives Matter section
A Florida high school paused distribution of its yearbook after complaints about a Black Lives Matter section within its pages.
Distribution of the West Broward High School yearbook was paused from Friday to Monday "while school administration evaluated the concerns expressed," Keyla Concepcion, with the Broward County Public Schools office of communications, said.
Concepcion told NBC News that people who raised concerns felt "that the spread was not inclusive of other social movements."
The school ultimately decided to continue selling the yearbook, but with an insert saying that "as a governmental entity, the Broward County School Board must maintain a neutral stance on all political views; therefore; the views expressed in the yearbook are not sponsored by the District."
"Broward County Public Schools supports and encourages students’ freedom of expression," the district said in a statement. "As the yearbook is intended to highlight notable and newsworthy events from that year, student journalists exercised their freedom of speech in documenting the movement."
The student journalists who worked on the yearbook, called The Edge, said in a statement to the student body that "editors and staff are always working hard to provide the students with a book that accurately depicts the year."
"And with the inclusion of the BLM page, we feel we did just that," the staff said.
“The BLM page is intended to give students a voice that is so often taken from them and allow them to discuss how important the BLM movement is to them as it has become a fight for their lives," the statement said.
