A Stockton, California, high school journalism team is getting a crash course in free speech as their faculty adviser goes to bat with school administrators over a profile of an 18-year-old student who is employed in the adult entertainment industry. The Bruin Voice, the award-winning newspaper of Bear Creek High School since 1991, plans to publish the profile on May 3.

The Washington Post reported that, upon receiving word of the upcoming story, the school system’s superintendent wrote the Bruin’s faculty adviser Kathi Duffel, a letter informing her that the district was concerned the article might violate a state education code barring the publication of material that is “obscene, libelous, or slanderous” if it focused on “production of adult videos.” The letter demanded that Duffel submit the article for administrative review before publication, or “be subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal.” She would further be liable for any legal action taken against the publication, they said.

Duffel and the student journalist behind the article, Bailey Kirkeby, maintain that the superintendent’s fears are groundless. The profile of a young sex worker, said the Washington Post, “Charts the student’s path into the porn industry, including a fallout with her parents that led her to leave home last year. It humanizes her.”

“When boys click on sites like Pornhub, maybe they’ll remember that on the other side of that screen is a girl who is trying to pay her rent, her utilities, and hopefully find a little bit of joy in a life that has held little so far,”Duffel told Newsweek. “The only message [administrators] are sending to students is that if they don’t like what you write, they will censor it.” 

School administrators have agreed to allow the article to be submitted for independent review by Student Press Law Center before publication to ensure that it violates no laws. Still, Bailey has reported receiving anonymous threats via social media. And Duffel told the Washington Post she felt “intimidated” when a school resource officer entered her classroom, asking her about “sex trafficking” and the age of those who had accessed Pornhub to research the story.

In my view, Kathi Duffel is a warrior for freedom of speech and critical thinking around a taboo subject. She’s providing her students with important experience not only in placing the subject of adult entertainment into context. They’re also learning about tangling with constitutional law…and the many who would prefer censorship over freedom of speech. I’m Team Duffel!

The article is due to be published on May 3.