English teacher could lose her job after overseeing a story for a school newspaper about a senior, 18, who is working in the porn industry
By Dailymail.com Reporter
A California English teacher could lose her job after overseeing a high school newspaper story about a senior who is working in the porn industry.
Kathi Duffel has come under pressure from Bear Creek High School to allow administrators to review the story about 18-year-old Caitlin Fink, which is set to run in the award-winning student newspaper, the Bruin Voice, on May 3.
Duffel, who has taught English for 33 years in the Lodi School District, believes that Fink should be able to tell her own story.
'This young woman has quite a story to tell,' Duffel told The Washington Post. 'She has every right to tell her story, and we have every right to report it.'
But officials from Bear Creek High School disagree.
They believe the story violates the state education code that prohibits publication of material that is 'obscene, libelous or slanderous' because the story focuses on 'the production of adult videos'.
School officials are demanding to see the story before it is published.
Duffel doesn't believe the school should see the copy before it is published and is refusing to allow administrators to take a look.
According to the Post, the story is a profile piece about the Stockton student that focuses on her journey into the porn industry and explains a fallout she had with her parents the previous year that forced her to leave home.
The editorial team and the writer of the story, Bailey Kirkeby, said the piece humanizes Fink.
But as soon as the school district found out about the story, a threatening letter was reportedly sent to Duffel asking her to show them the article before it's published or risk losing her job.
'I tell the kids, "Free speech isn't free, is it?"' Duffel told the Post.
Duffel said the article details the challenges Fink has faced while working in the porn industry, including a contract she signed with adult website Pornhub.
According to the Post, Duffel contacted an attorney after the district warned her that she would be personally liable for any legal claims that could result from the article.
Duffel said she's 'never buckled and provided the administration with a copy of a story in advance' and doesn't have plans to do so now.
An attorney with the Student Press Law Center will review the story to resolve any legal concerns.
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Originally Posted by lost in melb.
