The policy subcommittee of the Portsmouth School Committee met this afternoon to consider a new school yearbook policy. While I guess it wasn't technically an open meeting, I showed up and they didn't kick me out. That said, nothing is obviously final until reviewed and approved by the full School Committee.

Attending were SC members Sylvia Wedge, Marge Levesque, and Doug Wilkie. Others included Superintendent Susan Lusi and PHS Principal Robert Littlefield, as well as the yearbook advisor and student editor. On the table was a proposed policy to deal with the contents of the yearbook. Senior portraits — location of the well-known Patrick Agin sword photo — received special attention, with a policy stating in part:

[A]ll senior portraits shall be of the student only with a traditional indoor or outdoor background. No props, instruments, pets, athletic equipment, hobby items, vehicles, or other items shall be allowed in the photographs. Clothing shall be modest and free of slogans and/or political expressions and such clothing shall be in conformance with the School District's dress code. References to items violative of school rules including but not limited to display of firearms, weapons, drugs, tobacco, alcohol or gambling shall be prohibited. The yearbook staff reserves the right to edit, crop or resize photographs submitted." — Section III A

Marge Levesque voiced concern and probed on the need for a policy that "rules out all props," but the consensus was, given recent history, it was safest to be broad and to include the advertising section of the book as well. "The commissioner recognized that we had legitimate authority to make decisions on content," said Littlefield, "The problem was that it was arbitrary. The quote was, 'You say you have zero tolerance, but you can buy tolerance in the advertising section.'"

Doug Wilkie wanted to know why the younger generation was going to hell [Oops, can I say hell?] in a handbasket. "Whatever happened to a formal picture? Young ladies in appropriate clothing. Young men with ties. To look like a graduate, not something that has nothing to do with graduating. There's too much accentuation on the rights of students. We were told, 'You want to be in the yearbook you wear this.'"

After considerable discussion and review of past yearbooks to judge just how widespread the problems with the policy might be, the yearbook editor concluded, "There's not enough in there that it would make a difference. The current class would rather go with no props than go through this again." Littlefield concurred: "At the expense of saying, 'Sorry about your trombone,' we avoid the need to pick and choose."

I suspect that the version I saw today will be pretty close to what gets reported out of committee. And while I do feel bad for the musicians and the pet lovers, it at least seems like a consistent, even-handed policy. I'll just keep paying my ACLU dues, because by the time Jack's a senior, I fully expect he'll find a way to violate whatever they cook up by then. ("What? They won't allow anti-DRM code to run in our Senior avatars? To the virtual barricades!")