In March of 1999, Douglas E. Yeo, parent of a student at Lexington High School in Massachusetts, openly objected to the town’s proposal to adopt a condom distribution policy. In protest, Yeo formed a political action group and attempted to place an ad in the school year book promoting abstinence. The ad reads “We know you can do it. ABSTINENCE: the healthy choice.” Student editors of the school’s yearbook and newspaper refused to include the ad in their publications, and Yeo claimed this was a violation of his rights written in the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Yeo threatened to sue and brought his case against the town of Lexington and his son’ s high school principal to the federal district court.

The media and district court both agreed that Yeo was unreasonably determined to go to law to settle the dispute. Editors felt as if Yeo’s advertisement would have been more appropriate as a letter to the editor. The litigation as a whole seemed unnecessary because an outsider shouldn’t dictate the content of a school newspaper or yearbook. Ads from parents and the community were not unusual to be placed in the yearbook, but the tone of Yeo’s ad was odd for publication. Student editors felt as if ads should be limited to congratulatory messages dedicated to the school’s graduating class. The yearbook’s unwritten policy ad was to not include ads that had a political nature or any type of advocacy advertising. The purpose of this policy was to ensure that the school’s yearbook wouldn’t turn into a bulletin board filled with competing political and social views that would interfere with the commemorative and congratulatory theme of the yearbook.

After Yeo refused to compromise, the students contacted Student Press Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union. Both stated that the law was on the students’ side and that they had editorial control over their school’s yearbook publications. Regardless of their final decision, it was theirs to make and the school would help support them. As an outcome, Yeo lost the case and student editors have gained complete control and responsibility over whatever is published in their schools’ yearbooks or newspapers/magazines.