A suburban Philadelphia school board has approved a new policy that forbids a school newspaper from banning the word ``Redskins'' when referring to its sports teams or controversial mascot.
The Neshaminy High School newspaper staff voted in October to ban the word, calling it a racial slur. A directive from the school's principal in December stated that the newspaper wasn't allowed to do that.
The Bucks County Courier Times said board members who voted Tuesday to forbid The Playwickian from banning the word ``Redskins'' said it violated the free-speech rights of students wishing to publish articles about the school's teams.
Editorial page co-editor Jack Haines said the staff would speak to their own counsel, obtained through the Student Press Law Center, before deciding on their next step.
