The aftermath of a school play in Loudoun County has teachers censoring student speech.
When Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn presented “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” this month, the hit Broadway musical was not performed exactly as written.
Where the original script called for a secretary to sing that a dress was “tres sexy,” the actress called it “tres lovely” instead. The boss’s nephew, instead of stepping out for a smoke, stepped out for a soda. And in a song titled “A Secretary Is Not a Toy,” several lines were changed to soften cheeky references to sexual tension in the workplace.
The editing was an attempt to put on a play that no one could claim was inappropriate for high school drama students. A one-act play at the same Loudoun County school three months earlier touched off an emotional debate about high school dramatics, free speech and morality, one that is not yet over. “Offsides,” written by student Sabrina Audrey Jess, featured a football player struggling with his homosexuality and an almost-kiss between two male students.
“When this whole story broke, my radar went up to 100 times its normal power,” Stone Bridge drama teacher Glen Hochkeppel said. “It’s natural. You begin to question absolutely everything you’re putting on stage.”
The “Offsides” controversy made its way not only onto the School Board agenda, but also into classrooms and living rooms across the county. It has revealed deep divisions among residents of the rapidly growing county and mirrored a national debate about whether discussion of homosexuality should be allowed or encouraged in public schools.
…[Stone Bridge Principal Jim] Person said that the experience has created an opportunity to “look at what’s appropriate and what’s not” in plays but that it has had very little impact on how teachers run classrooms and what students discuss. Still, he said he believes that parents are going to view lots of school actions against the backdrop of the play.
Take the case of Nikki Buchholz’s submission to the school’s literary magazine. Buchholz, 18, was told that the magazine had accepted her story, a fictional account of a girl who helps a friend who is being sexually abused by her father. But English teacher Tom Clawson said he told her that the story was too dark and that she would have to edit, changing it to a story about physical, not sexual, abuse.
Person and Clawson said that the editing was unrelated to the “Offsides” controversy. But Nikki’s father, Tim, is dubious.
“I see dots being connected,” he said. “I think they’ve tightened down.”
Given the prevalence of sexual abuse, are we really protecting children when we prevent them from discussing the issue in class? Sexual abuse victims are very often afraid of confronting their abusers or telling authorities because not only might they experience retribution from their abusers, but they fear scorn from their peers who they think will blame the abused for what happened to them. A frank discussion about sexual abuse might help victims to come forward. But now Loudoun schools are trying to sweep the problem under the rug. Is that really a service to children? Might the abused get the feeling that the subject is so taboo that they shouldn’t even try to defend themselves?
This is an issues we all should weigh in on. Here’s the email for Loudoun County schools main office: schools@loudoun.k12.va.us
Here is Stone Bridge High School Principal Jim Person’s email address: jperson@loudoun.k12.va.us
Here is English teacher Tom Clawson’s email: tlclawso@loudoun.k12.va.us
Here is Stone Bridge’s drama teacher’s email: GHOCHKEP@loudoun.k12.va.us
I’d also suggest contacting the chairman of the Loudoun County school board. In the past he’s been a supporter of Dick Black, the delegate from the area that ignited the flap about the play. But Andrews was apparently miffed at Black’s meddling. Andrews email is andcominv@aol.com