District 51 administration removed Orange and Black (O&B) advisor Steve Fox from his position in May, 2026, after the paper “expanded beyond typical school coverage and took on more serious topics.” Examples of coverage the D51 administration took exception to included an opinion piece about Gaza and Palestine that generated some backlash, coverage of a lawsuit that “brought attention to legal issues that are not typically covered in school media,” and a cover photo in one issue of the paper that showed a large group of students at a football game in which one student was wearing a shirt that said “I Hate Milfs.” D51 Administration said the photo “didn’t promote the school appropriately.” School officials also took exception to a 2025 Orange & Black article about a discrimination lawsuit brought against District 51 by physical education teacher Sydni Brandon, who was terminated. Brandon’s lawsuit charged the District with discriminating against her because of her race and sexual orientation.
For his part, the former O&B advisor Steve Fox says he is “100 percent convinced” that his reassignment was in retaliation for student content.
In a detailed and thoughtful May 26 editorial, O&B reporter Mason Strippel opposed the administration’s removal of their advisor, saying the move was an attempt to exercise prior restraint and rein in the type of coverage the paper can engage in the future.
Students cited Colorado law, C.R.S. § 22-1-120(6), that protects advisors for retaliation against First Amendment-covered speech:
“A public school employee must not be dismissed, suspended, disciplined, reassigned, transferred, or otherwise retaliated against solely for acting to protect a student engaged in the conduct authorized pursuant to this section or for refusing to infringe upon conduct that is protected by this section or the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (C.R.S. § 22-1-120(6)).”
The situation at GJHS was picked up by Colorado journalist and educator Corey Hutchins, who authors a blog on Substack about Colorado media called “The News Behind the News.” Hutchins says GJHS journalism students are now getting help from a national nonprofit group the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to reverse the removal of their advisor. FIRE defends free speech and the rights of student journalists on campuses throughout the country. On July 14, FIRE opened an active case on the matter and sent a letter to District 51 Superintendent Brian Hill echoing the students’ concerns and contesting the District’s removal and reassignment of Fox. FIRE asserts the District broke not one, but two Colorado laws: the one cited above and Colorado’s Open Records Act. FIRE submitted requests to the District for public records about Fox’s removal on June 22 and June 30, to investigate the reassignment, but the District failed to respond within the three-working-day window specified in the law. The letter requested “a substantive response to this letter no later than July 28, 2026, confirming the district will adhere to its obligations to uphold student press freedoms and produce the records sought in accordance with Colorado law.”
FIRE has previously sued not just school districts, but government agencies and appointed officials including former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who they sued in February of 2026 and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who they sued in August of 2025.
Trying to censor outlets for their freedom of the press at any level is still censorship!
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Beyond that, you can also submit a Letter to the Editor (name required) or an anonymous “You Said It” comment.
I found today’s “You Said It” about the student newspaper at GJHS containing many mistakes interesting. We all sat through a graduation ceremony where numerous speakers suggested we should embrace mistakes as learning opportunities. I loathe mistakes in journalism, but as a former professional newspaper reporter/editor I also understand they are virtually impossible to avoid in the fast-paced world of information. And, as those speakers suggested, I often learned more from my mistakes than anything else. I believe the same is true for my current/former students. Let’s be better examples as adults. Students brave enough to do student journalism are learning to be critical thinkers and putting their work out for others to judge. Try not to be hypocrites in that process.
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Has D51 ignored two CORA requests or was a third one issued? Same request or different requests? What is the penalty for not complying?
According to Colorado.gov, the only remedy for violating an open records act request is to bring a civil lawsuit against the offending agency: “Under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), there are no criminal penalties for non-compliance. The law is enforced civilly. If a court finds a public entity improperly denied access, it must order the agency to pay the requester’s court costs and reasonable attorney fees.”
D51 is cruising for a bruising and it’s going to cost us all a lot of money. The law isn’t that difficult to understand. The school board needs to jerk Brian Hill’s chain and tell him to reinstate Fox or seek other employment.