Parents of students at a St. Louis, Missouri high school are shocked by the pages of the newly released yearbook. After building up distribution day on social media, students eagerly picked up their copies of the Pioneer yearbook at Kirkwood High School on Wednesday. While thumbing through the book, they found content many say is inappropriate for teenage students.
Images circulated on social media of pages reportedly inside the yearbook had people, at first, disbelieving they were real. Two sections caused a major uproar: one about hooking up and another referencing social drinking, smoking, and vaping. Members of the Kirkwood community flocked to social media Thursday, demanding answers from the administration and wondering who approved the controversial content.
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The pink pages stand out.
A two-page spread in the Pioneer is dedicated to teenagers and their "hookups." A bold banner on the left page reads "HOOKED(ish)". Right under that sits this text: "Students share their opinions on hook-up culture, the concept of a casual sexual relationship without labels, and it's benefits and consequences."
The pages are filled with images that include pregnancy tests, birth control pills, a Plan B One-Step box, and a bra. Text on the page asks, "What is the weirdest place you have hooked-up?"
Anonymous answers included:
"[The] Altered state dressing room in West County Mall."
"The football field between two field hockey goals."
"A bowling alley parking lot in the back seat of someone else's car."
Commenters on an Instagram page that shared a yearbook image were shocked.
"No. Words. Why does Kirkwood continue to blow. my. mind. How about a section on community service … helping the poor … service hours. Anything like that? " a comment on Instagram read.
Some wondered who the yearbook was targeted to.
"Like a senior yearbook? Was it available to all grades?" someone asked.
"Wtf! I would be so so p—ed," another commenter wrote.
But it wasn't just sex.
The yearbook also had pages devoted to hot topics such as abortion, gay pride, and gun control. A spread dedicated to drugs and alcohol took flight on social media. On these pages, the yearbook claims that 58.8% of students prefer drinking over smoking.
Parents were outraged, pointing out this is a high school yearbook, and although its students may choose to drink over smoking, both are illegal in Missouri until a person turns 21. According to the yearbook, that fact is not lost on all Kirkwood students.
"It has become so normalized that teenagers forget that it's illegal to underage drink," a quote on the page reads.
Another student mentioned support for a new law in the state: "I agree with the legalization of recreational marijuana because minorities are disproportionally incarcerated for possession of marijuana," according to an anonymous comment.
Some say Kirkwood High School failed its students.
Kirkwood resident and Kirkwood High School alum Ann Simon tells CafeMom she was appalled by what she saw. She was concerned that some of the students who will see this yearbook are as young as 14 years old, and in her opinion, the content is simply inappropriate.
"Where are the teachers who are supposed to be leading our kids? To teach them right from wrong? To teach them it's ok to say NO!" she says. "Some say 'Well this is a sign of the times' but I disagree. I think it is laziness and a lack of consciousness on the part of teachers."
Simon is quick to clarify: "the teachers who are in charge of the yearbook … not all teachers!"
Not all parents disagree with what was printed in the Pioneer.
Kim Prevallet Schamel, associate professor of pediatrics and a Kirkwood High School parent, does not think the content is inappropriate and says it could start valuable conversations with teens.
"I personally would choose to use the yearbook pieces as a jumping off point to discuss these issues with my sons. What they think about it, what do their friends think about it, have they considered this consequence or that consequence, do they feel ready for the emotional consequences of this sort of thing," she tells CafeMom. "Same conversation I would have with them about all sorts of difficult topics. Other parents may choose a different approach that fits with their values, beliefs, and parenting."
Although her opinion differs from some parents, Schamel stands by it and believes that she was unfairly attacked. She posted in a now-deleted Facebook thread about the yearbook and has received nasty messages and threats from strangers, she shares with us.
"Apparently being a pediatrician means I am not allowed to express an opinion they object to … so frustrating, she says.
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The school district stands behind its student-led yearbook committee.
The Kirkwood School District shared a statement with KSDK regarding the yearbook and the current controversy. It reads in part, "Kirkwood High School has a longstanding tradition of allowing student media to be designated public forums. … As school officials do not engage in prior review, the content of KHS Media is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials of the school itself."
A concerned Kirkwood grandmother, who wished to remain anonymous, tells CafeMom, "How can an institution publishing a book for the entire school allow no editing by people in charge? I believe in creativity, free thinking, and freedom of speech, but this content is inappropriate for this age group. Maybe on a college campus, but not for a 14-year-old like my grandson."
