U-Hi administrators destroy papers carrying column

Most copies of the student newspaper at University High School in the Central Valley School District have been confiscated and destroyed by school officials after offensive remarks appeared in what was meant to be a light-hearted column. “I didn’t feel it was appropriate at all,” Principal Daryl Hart said Wednesday. The April 9 edition of the Mercury contained a question-and-answer column in which reporters asked students, “If you could be famous for anything, what would you be famous for?” The answers included “Killing someone famous,” “Mass murderer,” “Having an affair with the president,” “Dropping a nuke on the Middle East,” “Killing the president with a trident,” “Leader of the KKK” and “Being JFK’s assassin.” Hart said the school has a zero-tolerance policy regarding such remarks and is investigating the responders’ states of mind to make sure there was no serious intent to the remarks. No decision has been regarding disciplinary action. Student editors Danny Bush and Tyler Pursch said neither of them noticed the remarks before the paper went to press. The staff of three at the Mercury put the paper together at the end of the second trimester — a stressful time for most students. “This has been a learning experience,” Bush said. Read more of this story in Saturday’s Valley Voice.