Lately there has been a lot of discussion about the restriction of our rights by government policies like the USA PATRIOT Act, but the one thing that has never been threatened is our freedom to speak out and criticize those policies that we deem unacceptable. That right is now being threatened.

Right here in Massachusetts, the students of Salem High School are being prohibited from voicing their opinions.

The most recent edition of “Witches Brew,” the high school’s student newspaper has not been printed. It has not been printed because the school’s principal, Ann Papagiotas, has a problem with some of the editorials that were slated to be part of the issue.

There are three articles in question, student-written editorials that criticized some recent changes in the school’s policies – things such as wearing hats and eating in class. One describes a lack of school spirit and criticizes the administration for not giving the students somewhere to go with their problems.

At first, Principal Papagiotas asked that a few changes be made to the editorials before they were permitted to run. The changes included providing some explanation from the administration’s point of view for the recent changes. The students reluctantly agreed, and were surprised when the principal still would not allow the paper to go to print. Unfortunately, Herb Levine, the superintendent, is supporting Papagiotas in her decision. According to the Boston Globe, Levine referred to some students’ opinions as “disruption or disorder,” claiming that it can start controversy. Last time we checked, freedom of speech was about having the right to start controversy in the instances where controversy is the only way to bring about change.

Todd Graham, an editor of the paper and senior at Salem High, gave the Globe his opinion on the matter. “It’s the student view. It’s our voice, and this is what the paper is meant to be,” he said.

Todd is absolutely right.

We, at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, especially as fellow student journalists, think that restriction of freedom of speech in any form is completely unacceptable. High school students have just as much right to express their opinions as any other citizens of the United States. Any infringement upon that right should not be tolerated, particularly by school administrators who are supposed encourage students to think for themselves so that they can survive in the real world. We can only hope that this issue will be resolved in the only appropriate way, with the publication of the student’s editorials in their original form.

However, if the students of Salem High School find that “Witches Brew” still refuses to allow free speech, we extend the invitation that they can certainly find it here, on the pages of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. If they would like the chance to have their opinion on the subject heard, in an unrestricted arena, we would be more than happy to provide them with the right that their own paper would not. Even if they choose not to accept the invitation, we wish these students luck in their battle against the oppressive force that is their school administration.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian Editorial Board.