Portsmouth High School (PHS) senior Patrick Agin poses for yearbook photo holding a sword, demonstrating his avocation, the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). PHS Principal Littlefield spikes the picture, making the unfortunate concession that Agin could run it as a paid ad. Portsmouth's own Patriot mascot, depicted in the yearbook, carries a musket. Patrick's mother, Heidi Farrington, calls in the ACLU which, naturally, sues. The yearbook is due to go to press, threatening to hold up delivery to graduating seniors. Unclear what the School Committee or the Superintendent think, because by the time it comes up at a meeting, the suit has been filed and nobody can talk.

You don't truly know what you believe in until two of your values are in conflict. It's taken me a while to think through and craft my response to this miasma. While I'm an unwavering supporter of the Portsmouth Schools, and there is more to this story than has been released in the press — as those in the community with long memories can attest — at the end of the day, Littlefield just missed the bus on this one.

This week, I downloaded and read the PHS handbook, and didn't find a specific regulation on yearbook photos, unless their theory is that the one line about sanctioned activities ("co- curricular activity is considered an extension of the school day and the rules of conduct that apply to the normal school day apply to the activity") triggers their "zero weapons" clause (Policy 5700), an argument which I find tenuous. It seems more like the Principal is on a witch hunt, seeing weapons where there is only historical re-enactment.

As a card-carrying member of the ACLU and EFF, I'm deeply troubled. Additionally, in my a life as an sf fan and writer, I've hung out with many members of the SCA, and I have never, ever, felt threatened. SCA folk are uniformly sensitive to those around them when it comes to weapons. I even took the trouble of contacting the SCA media relations guy, who confirmed that Agin was not breaking any of the organization's weapons rules.

Now timing is everything, and the paranoid among us might wonder: Why here, why now? This is almost a replay of a similar case in Wisconsin involving a rifle and Confederate flag. If one were setting the School Department up for a trainwreck at a critical time when one wanted to peel off left-leaning support, one could hardly imagine a better scenario. Indeed, PCC school board member Doug Wilkey managed to get himself quoted in the AP story. But I have learned to be cautious in imputing malice as an explanation where mere stupidity can suffice. (I think that's called 'Occam's Sledgehammer...')

Bottom line: Littlefield needs to back down. It does a disservice to the people of Portsmouth to have our town dragged through the national press like this. This needs to be resolved. Now.

See the RI ACLU for the filing

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