The Landry News by Andrew Clements Page A

to other interviews of Dr.Barnes and the superintendent. They split into teams and had debates, and they put a whole new layer of clippings and cartoons and news photos onto Mr. Larson’s bulletin boards.
    Mr. Larson was happier than he had been for many years. By the time the day of the hearing arrived, he was ready to walk in with his head held high. All of his students were planning to be there.
    For most people, this was simply a disciplinary hearing. But for Mr. Larson and his students, it was the last lesson in a unit about the most interesting subject they had ever studied.

CHAPTER 20
HOME TEAM GOES FOR BROKE
    SHORTLY BEFORE 7:30 on a Tuesday night in December, Mr. Larson straightened his necktie, kissed his wife, then turned to walk down the sloped aisle of the high school auditorium. A row of folding tables had been set up in front of the auditorium stage. After he sat down across from Dr. Barnes at the first table, Mr. Larson turned his head and looked out into the audience. It looked to him like there were at least four hundred people in the room.
    His wife had settled near the back and was smiling at him, all warmth and support. The kids from his class were scattered all over the place, sitting with one or both of their parents. Cara and her mother were in the fourth row, and when he looked at them, Cara gave him a nervous smile and waved shyly. Mr. Larson felt self-conscious up there at the front of the hall, but he did not feel alone.
    There was something that Mr. Larson had not discussed with the kids in his class. It was entirely possible that the freedom of the press would win its battle, and that he would still lose his job.
    True, public opinion mattered. Newspaper reporters and camera crews from two of the three major TV stations were here. But at the end of the night, it would all depend on how the school board voted. Mr. Larson knew that out of the seven members, three would love to see him leave, and two others were not very fond of him. It was going to be an uphill battle.
    At exactly seven-thirty, the superintendent called the meeting to order. The school board president, Mrs. Deopolis, read the call-to-meeting notice and then introduced Dr. Barnes. Since it was Dr. Barnes who had brought the complaint, he was required to speak first.
    â€œMadam President,” he began, “on Friday, December seventh, I read the newest edition of this student newspaper and found a story about divorce that I did not think was appropriate. As you know, I immediately brought the article to the attention of the board and the superintendent. You apparently agreed that the content was not appropriate, and since Mr. Larson had accepted responsibility for the content of the newspaper, you agreed that this disciplinary hearing was needed. Madam President, will you please explain to those present what the boardfound to be inappropriate in the story?”
    As Dr. Barnes sat down, Mrs. Deopolis leaned closer to her microphone and said, “Yes, Dr. Barnes. We found that the subject matter and the description of the boy’s suffering was too personal, and that the topic of divorce is too mature a theme to be treated in this way in an elementary school newspaper. The board feels that by allowing this to be published, Mr. Larson made a very serious error in judgment. In light of past complaints about Mr. Larson’s abilities and practices as a classroom teacher, we agreed that this hearing was necessary.” Turning to Mr. Larson, Mrs. Deopolis asked, “Mr. Larson, do you have a lawyer present or will you be speaking for yourself?”
    Mr. Larson stood up stiffly, talking into a hand-held microphone. “I will be speaking for myself, Madam President.” Stepping away from the table, Mr. Larson addressed the board members. “I see this issue of the story in The Landry News in very simple terms. Yes, Dr. Barnes made me responsible for the content of the paper, and I passed that responsibility on