Student's sex education editorial killed

FALLBROOK, Calif., Aug. 7 (UPI) -- A recent California high school graduate is mad the principal killed her final editorial for the school newspaper, denouncing "abstinence-only sex education."

Margaret Dupes now has support from a national school press group and a state senator who sponsored a bill to provide greater free-speech rights for high school journalists, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday. Dupes' editorial was dropped from the May edition of the Fallbrook High School Tomahawk by adviser Dave Evans, acting on orders from the principal, Rod King.

"I didn't really understand why this was being pulled," Dupes said. "Mr. Evans said that Mr. King was uncomfortable with the content."

Evans lost his position as adviser of the Tomahawk in June after he tried to set up a meeting about articles King had killed and the journalism class was canceled for next year. King's lawyer blamed budget cuts and said his client killed the editorial because he suspected it had been written by an adult -- something Dupes denies.

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Leland Yee, a San Francisco Democrat, would protect advisers from retaliation for protesting freedom of speech violations. The measure is now on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk.