You’ve got to read this to believe this. Apparently the Minneapolis Public Schools publishes and distributes a student-run newsletter entitled “The Rhino Report.”
This is nothing unusual: Many schools had or have student newspapers written by and for our fellow students. Usually there is a faculty advisor who often wisely edited pieces that were, as we said in the day, “in poor taste” or could be hurtful to others. From a quick read of several editions of The Rhino Report, most of the “news” contained in this newsletter appears to be age appropriate and likely of interest to their fellow students.
Minneapolis Public Schools apparently avoids those unpleasant conversations about age-appropriate content, however, and allows students to print whatever they want to print. Recently, their Feb. 15, 2022 edition made national news with their article entitled “Protest Tips and Etiquette.”
This front-page article lists bullet points of advice gleamed from “personal experience” and “online circles of local activists.”
But you have to hand it to this student who wrote this – “Teeth” (author’s name) didn’t bury the lede.
His first piece of advice to the novice protester?
“When it comes to Black Lives Matter protests, if you’re not Black, remember that you’re there to show your support and amplify Black voices. ESPECIALLY if you’re White, if they’re offering the megaphone for anyone to speak, it’s not for you.”
According to the Tennessee Star, a media relations coordinator at Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) told the Minnesota Sun that the guide was written by students, and not during school hours.
“At Minneapolis Public Schools, we value and encourage student voice. The Rhino Report newsletter is a student publication that was written by students in an after school community education program,” Chrystina Lugo-Beach said by email. “The publication represents the viewpoints of students, very similar to an editorial written for a newspaper.”
Read more about the “Rhino Report” here.
