Regis Jesuit High School fires advisers, pulls student magazine over pro-choice column

Two advisers of Regis Jesuit High School’s student-run mag were fired and the backstage Catholic schoolhouse successful Aurora retracted the wintertime variation implicit a student’s sentiment file that argued termination should stay legal, 1 of the advisers confirmed Friday.

The pupil publication, Elevate, published its wintertime variation past month, according to a Dec. 17 letter by Regis Jesuit President David Card and Principal Jimmy Tricco explaining their determination to retract the magazine, which was first reported by Sentinel Colorado.

“An sentiment portion that presented a stance connected termination intelligibly successful absorption to Church teaching was included that we recovered some profoundly troubling and unacceptable,” Card and Tricco wrote.

In bold type, the schoolhouse officials’ missive continued: “First, we privation to beryllium wide that arsenic a Catholic, Jesuit instauration we judge that beingness begins astatine the infinitesimal of conception. We judge that extortion of beingness astatine this signifier represents the foundational request of respecting the dignity of quality beingness astatine each stage. We are afloat invested successful disseminating and defending this and each Church teaching successful each that we do.”

The missive said the schoolhouse failed to decently usher students successful this instance, adding: “While we judge successful providing an avenue for pupil expression, we are taking steps present to see the magazine’s editorial process to guarantee its compatibility with and work successful representing the ngo of Regis Jesuit.”

The wintertime variation of the publication, which tin typically beryllium recovered online, was removed wholly and replaced with the administration’s letter.

When asked whether the advisers of the mag were inactive teaching astatine the school, Card wrote successful an emailed effect to The Denver Post: “As a rule, we bash not remark connected unit matters.”

When asked if anyone was disciplined implicit the situation, Card said, “No students person been disciplined.”

Nicole Arduini, listed connected the magazine’s erstwhile contented arsenic 1 of 2 advisers, confirmed that she was fto spell aft the column’s publication.

“I americium saddened astir the situation,” Arduini said. “I enjoyed teaching pupil journalism and americium arrogant to person worked with an astonishing radical of young journalists.”

Arduini confirmed the 2nd adviser, Maria Lynch, was besides fto go. Lynch could not beryllium reached for comment.

Regis Jesuit High School’s pupil editorial policies posted online state, “The publications advisers volition not enactment arsenic a censor oregon person last accidental successful determining the contented of the media. Rather, the advisers volition thatch journalistic skills and usher the students successful making dependable ineligible and ethical decisions… School officials, medication oregon module and staff, likewise, shall not signifier anterior reappraisal oregon to censor immoderate pupil media, with the objection of worldly deemed to beryllium legally obscene, libelous, substantially and materially disruptive…”

The policies spell connected to authorities that students volition enactment intimately with the president and main connected stories that diagnostic obituaries, crimes oregon situations that are presently successful the tribunal of instrumentality oregon termination of employees.