Naperville Central adviser decision coming soon
Embattled Naperville Central High School newspaper adviser Linda Kane likely will know her fate early next week.
The longtime instructor is under fire over articles published in the Central Times student newspaper that some administrators say glorified drug use and contained profanity.
They also have criticized Kane's handling of the situation in the wake of the controversy and told her she must resign from the newspaper or she will be fired as its adviser -- a post she has held for 19 years.
In either case, she would be allowed to continue teaching. Kane has said she is two years from retirement.
The Feb. 28 edition of the award-winning paper included a package of three articles -- a column against using drugs, a first-person account of using and selling marijuana, and an article that looked at both sides of the issue.
Administrators argued the first-person story promotes the use of marijuana and downplays its effects. But the paper's student editors say they took a balanced approach by including all three articles.
The stories also include language some administrators deem inappropriate. The newspaper's policy currently allows profanity if used in a direct quote to further the meaning of that quote.
District officials are considering changing the policy but newspaper staff members have threatened to file a lawsuit if they do.
In a Wednesday letter to Superintendent Alan Leis, Kane called recent events the "darkest period in my life" but said she cannot and will not resign.
She said she always will stand up for what she believes is right and will teach young people to do the same.
"Too many today are willing to accept the status quo, to fold when the going gets tough; too many today believe it is better to listen, to follow, and to accept," she wrote. "I challenge these beliefs.
"I stand firmly with the John Proctors, the Henry David Thoreaus, and the Martin Luther King, Jrs. of the world. In fact, I wish more people today would follow their lead. The future of our society depends on it."
In addition to the flap over the content of the articles, Kane has upset administrators with negative comments she made to the Daily Herald about Principal Jim Caudill.
She also had a falling out with assistant adviser Harmony Watts, who since has resigned from the paper.
Kane told Leis in her letter that she respects authority but when she is passionate about an issue, the words don't always come out as diplomatically as they could.
"I understand if you believe that I am 'unprofessional,' 'insubordinate,' 'obstinate' and 'disobedient,'" she wrote. "I am truly sorry that the administration believes me to be such. However, as I have aged, I have learned what is REALLY important in life: staying true to who you are."
Officials said Friday they have not yet decided how they will handle the matter.
"The administration is still working on the issue and will make a decision early next week," Leis said.