Discussion drawn from the six portraits below
The six photos above are controversial portraits submitted to high school yearbooks around the country. My general opinion on senior photos is that portraits should not feature any prop, outfit, animal, or family member that a student would not usually be allowed to bring onto school grounds. If I, or the administration, found a portrait unacceptable, I would reach out to the student in the picture, and offer to either crop the offending feature out or replace it with a more acceptable photo of their choosing. If they did not have another photo to replace it with, I would then offer to retake their senior photo on my own time at no charge. If the student rejected all three options, there would be an official school photo in its place, or simply a box that said "No image available" above their name.
1) I hate to deny any student the right to showcase their passion-in this case, hunting-but guns are not appropriate for schools, nor their publications. Guns are a symbol of violence, with killing being their only practical use, and the student is displaying his intention to kill with his. I wouldn't allow the inclusion of any weapon in a photo, whether a gun, a knife, a sword, or a grenade. Furthermore, I don't think yearbook portraits should include any other people or animals aside from the senior represented, as much as I love my own yellow labrador.
2) On a personal level, I take no issue with this photo of the girl in a tuxedo. I believe the senior is dressed appropriately, in an outfit sanctioned by the school (if not for her particular gender). It is not even a significant distraction. If it were a public school, I would run the photo without a second thought. However, private schools have a lot more control over their publications. I would meet with administrators about the decision, and personally advocate for running the photo. If they deemed that unacceptable, I would again offer to either crop it around her face, or retake the photo myself, and alert the student to the changes.
3) I struggled the most on deciding how to approach the controversy in the arguably provocative photo. I don't have a problem with this girl's pose or her skirt length, but the smallness of her top exposes enough skin to violate just about any dress code. Away from school, this outfit would be totally fine, but I really don't think it properly reflects the formality of senior photos in a yearbook. There's nothing wrong with girls wearing what they feel good in, and expressing themselves artistically, but as an adviser I will have a responsibility to monitor content and hold it to school standards. I consider myself a pretty reasonable judge of appropriate dress but it's incredibly difficult to define what is and isn't appropriate for ANYONE, not just girls. I wouldn't let a boy submit a photo in this top either. My solution would be as mentioned above, to find a photo of this girl showing off her modeling skills in a top more acceptable for the school environment.
4) I think this student's pride flag is acceptable for a school publication. It is uplifting for him, and clearly an important part of his life, which he wishes to promote. Assuming that pride flags haven't been banned from his public high school, I don't find it sufficiently distracting or controversial enough to leave out of the yearbook. In this photo, the focus is still on the student and his passions.
5) Again, I hate to deny a student the right to promote their interests, but guns are never acceptable in a yearbook under any circumstances. The Confederate flag is a trickier topic, because the student claims he is expressing a love for his relatives and heritage, but he is using a symbol of violence and racism to do so. It differs from the pride flag, which does not pose a legitimate threat to anyone and symbolizes love and acceptance. The Confederate flag has a loaded history, involving a great deal of pain and suffering. I would speak to administrators about their stance on the symbol first, but probably ultimately reject it from the school publication.
6) The idea that a picture of a loving mother and her healthy son promotes an image too negative for a yearbook is extremely problematic and offensive. It is rude and inappropriate to tell a mom that giving birth to her child and keeping him was shameful or bad. She is proud of her son and they took a lovely family portrait. All that being said, I would most likely reject this photo as well, not because she was pregnant as a teenager, but because I stand by the principle that a senior should be the only person in their portrait.
1) I hate to deny any student the right to showcase their passion-in this case, hunting-but guns are not appropriate for schools, nor their publications. Guns are a symbol of violence, with killing being their only practical use, and the student is displaying his intention to kill with his. I wouldn't allow the inclusion of any weapon in a photo, whether a gun, a knife, a sword, or a grenade. Furthermore, I don't think yearbook portraits should include any other people or animals aside from the senior represented, as much as I love my own yellow labrador.
2) On a personal level, I take no issue with this photo of the girl in a tuxedo. I believe the senior is dressed appropriately, in an outfit sanctioned by the school (if not for her particular gender). It is not even a significant distraction. If it were a public school, I would run the photo without a second thought. However, private schools have a lot more control over their publications. I would meet with administrators about the decision, and personally advocate for running the photo. If they deemed that unacceptable, I would again offer to either crop it around her face, or retake the photo myself, and alert the student to the changes.
3) I struggled the most on deciding how to approach the controversy in the arguably provocative photo. I don't have a problem with this girl's pose or her skirt length, but the smallness of her top exposes enough skin to violate just about any dress code. Away from school, this outfit would be totally fine, but I really don't think it properly reflects the formality of senior photos in a yearbook. There's nothing wrong with girls wearing what they feel good in, and expressing themselves artistically, but as an adviser I will have a responsibility to monitor content and hold it to school standards. I consider myself a pretty reasonable judge of appropriate dress but it's incredibly difficult to define what is and isn't appropriate for ANYONE, not just girls. I wouldn't let a boy submit a photo in this top either. My solution would be as mentioned above, to find a photo of this girl showing off her modeling skills in a top more acceptable for the school environment.
4) I think this student's pride flag is acceptable for a school publication. It is uplifting for him, and clearly an important part of his life, which he wishes to promote. Assuming that pride flags haven't been banned from his public high school, I don't find it sufficiently distracting or controversial enough to leave out of the yearbook. In this photo, the focus is still on the student and his passions.
5) Again, I hate to deny a student the right to promote their interests, but guns are never acceptable in a yearbook under any circumstances. The Confederate flag is a trickier topic, because the student claims he is expressing a love for his relatives and heritage, but he is using a symbol of violence and racism to do so. It differs from the pride flag, which does not pose a legitimate threat to anyone and symbolizes love and acceptance. The Confederate flag has a loaded history, involving a great deal of pain and suffering. I would speak to administrators about their stance on the symbol first, but probably ultimately reject it from the school publication.
6) The idea that a picture of a loving mother and her healthy son promotes an image too negative for a yearbook is extremely problematic and offensive. It is rude and inappropriate to tell a mom that giving birth to her child and keeping him was shameful or bad. She is proud of her son and they took a lovely family portrait. All that being said, I would most likely reject this photo as well, not because she was pregnant as a teenager, but because I stand by the principle that a senior should be the only person in their portrait.