1979: Short shorts and tank tops
In the 1979-80 school year, the administration began to crack down on short shorts and tank tops. Assistant Principal Richard Frakes called seven students into his office and instructed them to change or they would be sent home. Several students fought back, arguing they could not be discriminated against based on dress. Eventually, Frakes gave in, stating in a Sept. 1979 Bark article that in the future he would take note only of students dressed in an “unusually extreme manner.”
1980: Candy
The passage of new state and federal nutritional guidelines in 1980 prompted the cafeteria to stop selling certain kinds of candy. Foods that met standards for nutritional value, such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, plain and peanut M&Ms, and Snickers, could all be sold by the cafeteria, but other kinds of candies could not. There was concern not only about students going elsewhere for candy, but also about the cafeteria losing money.
1983-84: Prior review in the hallways
In the early ‘80s, former Assistant Principal and Coordinator of Student Activities Charles Greenly upset the student body by tearing down 45 posters hanging from hallway walls that he deemed were in poor taste.
Greenly said he would not tolerate the words “bum,” “slime,” “nerd” or “punk rocker” if they were intended as a criticism of another student. He also said that everything printed had to be school connected and have no profanity.
Student Press Law Center attorney Marc Abrams argued in the Bark that Greenly’s actions blatantly transgressed students’ rights, stating, “There’s no way any court in this country would allow a ban on ‘nerd,’ or ‘punk rocker.’”
The debate over hallway posting was resolved in 2000 when Principal Nancy Neu created the current stamp policy in order to prohibit obscene signs without limiting the students’ rights.
2001: Aladdin as a Homecoming theme
In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, administrators made the decision to ban the use of Aladdin in that year’s Disney movie-themed Homecoming. Principal Nancy Neu felt that given Aladdin’s Middle Eastern background, it would be safer not to provide students with a forum to create generalizations about Arabs, especially since the floats went out to the communities. The decision was highly contested by students, who said that disallowing the theme was more prejudiced than allowing it, although there were those, including then senior class president Paula Nougeira-Silva, who agreed with the decision.
2001: Dave’s Mini-Mart
Dave Goldsmith, technology teacher, once ran a store from his classroom called Dave’s Mini-Mart, where he sold candy and snacks. Due to pressure from the administration, Goldsmith was forced to close down his Mini-Mart in March of 2001. Teachers had complained about the noise level, since students would stop by during class time, and though Goldsmith said he was willing to fight the district, he said, “I didn’t want to battle my colleagues.”
2007: Booing at rallies
The most recent in the long and grand history of bans, booing was prohibited at rallies after this year’s apparently too hostile Homecoming rally. The administration felt that booing freshmen discouraged them from participating in the activities and that Redwood should come together as a community to support each other.
