Just across the Potomac River from the White House’s assault on the free press, Alexandria City Public Schools is censoring its student-run newspaper.

After Theogony, the student-run newspaper at Alexandria City High School, wrote articles sharing controversial actions by Alexandria City Public Schools, Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt and her Central Office proposed a policy and regulation to the Alexandria City School Board that will:

• Revoke student 1st Amendment rights
• Make it so ACPS can stop publication of any article they don't like
• Steal ownership of student-produced work
• Punish students if they choose to work for local media outlets (Update: this part has been removed)

In response, Theogony, in collaboration with the other ACHS student publications and the Student Press Law Center, created a policy that supports the freedom of expression. We call it Voices Unbound.

Unlike the Central Office's proposed policy of censorship, Voices Unbound affirms the role of a free press and restores full First Amendment protections to student journalists. It requires administrators to meet a reasonable burden to block publication of articles. And it leaves content decisions in the hands of students — who have been trained for more than a year on how to make those decisions.

In Fall 2025, the school board will discuss the Central Office's policy of censorship. Sign the petition and tell them why you support Voices Unbound and the freedom of the press.

More information here