Tamalpais Union High School District: Administrators launch probe into student newspaper’s cover photo, demands students take down Instagram post

On February 4, Redwood High School student newspaper The Redwood Bark published a front-page photo of students holding a protest sign critical of Zionism. On March 4, a school district official announced that the paper was subject to a harassment and discrimination investigation because of the image. Separately, The Bark posted local towns mentioned in the Epstein files on Instagram and included the name of a French national found in the files. The principal directed the adviser to take down the post. (The post was removed but was ultimately restored.) FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative wrote to the superintendent to remind the school district of its obligations to protect the rights of student journalists under California’s Student Free Expression Law, and called on the district to end its investigation and other acts of censorship. On May 7, Superintendent Goode responded, stating there was “no investigation” and that all issues had been resolved. On May 12, FIRE wrote back, pointing out that the school had emailed the Bark adviser with a “notification of investigation” and that students may not be stripped of First Amendment rights, even for minimal periods of time. The superintendent responded on May 14, confirming The Bark was not punished for its editorial decisions but disagreeing with FIRE’s position that no investigation should have taken place.