Texans Talk Policies

The purpose of the Texans Talk newspaper is to accurately report newsworthy events and be a forum for student opinion. Student opinions do not reflect the attitudes or opinions of the staff, administration, or the AISD board of trustees. Opinion pieces, by their very nature, are controversial. The only requirement is that all opinion articles be based on facts.

Comment Rules

1. Keep it Clean! – Avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist, or sexually oriented language.
2. Do Not Threaten or Abuse! – Threats of harming another person OR degrading others are not tolerated.
3. Be Honest! – Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Period!
4. Be Nice! – No racism, sexism, or any sort of -ism that’s degrading to another person.
5. Share with Us! – We love to hear eyewitness accounts. Share your story ideas!

Correction/Retraction Policy

Upon discovering a printed or posted mistake, the staff will print or post a retraction, correction, or clarification statement in the next printed issue or “tag” a posted story as “corrections” online. The goal of the publication is to have no errors; however, that goal is not easily accomplished. The staff apologizes for such errors.

Letters Policy

The Texans Talk acts as an open forum for public discussion. Letters should be signed by the author and sent to room 1502 or emailed to [email protected] or click here. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for clarity, grammatical errors, and space limitations. The staff also reserves the right NOT to publish letters that are libelous or contain non-factual information. Texans Talk will not directly answer letters unless a direct question is posed.

Obituaries

Texans Talk will treat all deaths at Sam Houston High School with respect and dignity.

All current students, faculty, or staff members who die during the school year will have an obituary printed in the newspaper, posted to Texans Talk Online, and/or a printed tribute in Cherokee yearbook.

Texans Talk will print a recent photo of the deceased with his or her name, a list of survivors, a school activities list, and student/teacher sentiments.

Deaths that are ruled a “suicide” can be reported and will name the student that committed the act, but only IF the parents or guardians approve.