A local school board has decided with their infinite wisdom.......

[BigBear]

Welcome to the Nanny States of America... Makes me sick!!

 

[Bsneed51]

 
The publisher called me today and said he received a phone call from the school superintendent saying the board decided they did not want to appear as though they were supporting tobacco usage to the community's kids  and told him to call me and tell me I couldn't advertise again.
 

Maybe things have changed, but when I was growing up no kids read the local publication/newspaper. 

 

[Juanote]

 

 
The publisher called me today and said he received a phone call from the school superintendent saying the board decided they did not want to appear as though they were supporting tobacco usage to the community's kids  and told him to call me and tell me I couldn't advertise again.
 

Maybe things have changed, but when I was growing up no kids read the local publication/newspaper. 
 

 
Excellent point.

 

[ironpeddler]

 

 
The publisher called me today and said he received a phone call from the school superintendent saying the board decided they did not want to appear as though they were supporting tobacco usage to the community's kids  and told him to call me and tell me I couldn't advertise again.
 

Maybe things have changed, but when I was growing up no kids read the local publication/newspaper. 
 

 
When they gave them out at school when we were young, we made paper airplanes out of them and flew them out the windows of the bus!

 

[tomthirtysix]

 

 


 
The publisher called me today and said he received a phone call from the school superintendent saying the board decided they did not want to appear as though they were supporting tobacco usage to the community's kids  and told him to call me and tell me I couldn't advertise again.
 

Maybe things have changed, but when I was growing up no kids read the local publication/newspaper. 
 

 
When they gave them out at school when we were young, we made paper airplanes out of them and flew them out the windows of the bus!
 


 
They had airplanes back then?

 

[broblues]

Well, they called them airships.  Blimps.  Gary must have been quite the paper folder! 

 

[Gavin]

The publisher called me today and said he received a phone call from the school superintendent saying the board decided they did not want to appear as though they were supporting tobacco usage to the community's kids  and told him to call me and tell me I couldn't advertise again.

Maybe things have changed, but when I was growing up no kids read the local publication/newspaper.

Unless it's on twitter, I doubt the kids will ever see it.

 

[aragornelessar86]

 
The publisher called me today and said he received a phone call from the school superintendent saying the board decided they did not want to appear as though they were supporting tobacco usage to the community's kids  and told him to call me and tell me I couldn't advertise again.
 


Maybe things have changed, but when I was growing up no kids read the local publication/newspaper. 

Things have definitely changed. Now nobody reads it.

 

[Mizicke5273]

Well that sucks and your frustration is understandable Jim.  Keep us posted and I'm curious as to which school district it is around here.

 

[punk_lawyer]

I seriously doubt that an attorney that works with school boards is going to have much to say on this thing.  They spend their days looking at suspensions / expulsions / special needs student issues / and liability matters.  My guess is that you've got a PTO group that is questioning how the school portrays itself in the community.
 
Keep track of any and all lost revenue from the date that the ad last ran in the paper.  Have a nice talk with the superintendent again.  Submit your ad again.  If it's refused by the publication then get the publication to put the basis for their refusal in writing to you.  You may want to ask the superintendent something along the lines of 'if my ad specifically says that no one under ___ years of age is permitted to smoke then is the ad still objectionable?'
 
Good luck!

 

[ironpeddler]

That's what I was thinking when Jim's original lawyer referred him to the second attorney.
 
Great advice Stu...

 

[Pugman1943]

What a crock. Next I suppose the kids have not see a Playboy magazine, or none of our kids can buy contraceptives or none of our kids smoke, or all our kids are virgins.

Surely the First or Second Amenment comes into play here, so I do wish you well.

 

[Keystone_Raider]

6 weeks of getting the runaround and no progress being made.
 
I have been attempting to get in writing a clear cut explanation as to why my advertising was banned.  The attorney I spoke with said that the reasons I were initially given were vague and that they needed clarified before he could do anything.  He did tell me though   A) censorship is illegal and B)  That the decision that was made - being made in private is also illegal.
 
I found out from the superintendent that the decision wasn't made at an official meeting when I questioned him about the fact that no mention was made in the minutes.
 
At some point I spoke to the solicitor for the school district and he told me that what I had been told by the superintendent wasn't true. 
 
Today I called the local paper and spoke with a lady who is in charge of the area where the school district is located and a reporter is to get back to me. 
 
More to come....

 

[duglynukem]

Jim, while I think what they did to you was wrong, try not to give them satisfaction by stewing over this. As someone mentioned earlier, try to quantify any loss of revenue since the ad was pulled. Then consider what action to take.

The Superintendent will be seeking reelection at some point. Plenty of opportunity then.

In the meantime, I'm about ready for another box of Padron's.

 

[CigarInspector]

Is this the only viable local advertising option you have that works? One option is to look for something better and move on.  Sometimes your time, energy and money is better spent moving forward rather then stewing over the past.  Either way good luck in your fight and I hope you win! Sounds like what they are doing is really scummy but in most situations like this the only people that will ultimately win are the lawyers and Govt.

 

[Keystone_Raider]

Is this the only viable local advertising option you have that works? One option is to look for something better and move on.  Sometimes your time, energy and money is better spent moving forward rather then stewing over the past.  Either way good luck in your fight and I hope you win! Sounds like what they are doing is really scummy but in most situations like this the only people that will ultimately win are the lawyers and Govt.

 
It's no longer about the advertising. 
 
I'm not going to let a bunch of wannabe politicians make decisions their not legally allowed to make and get away with it.

 

[ilikefishes]

Is this the only viable local advertising option you have that works? One option is to look for something better and move on.  Sometimes your time, energy and money is better spent moving forward rather then stewing over the past.  Either way good luck in your fight and I hope you win! Sounds like what they are doing is really scummy but in most situations like this the only people that will ultimately win are the lawyers and Govt.


 
It's no longer about the advertising. 
 
I'm not going to let a bunch of wannabe politicians make decisions their not legally allowed to make and get away with it.

Good on you. Keep up the fight until you get the answers you want. Good luck to you Jim.

 

[broblues]

Jim, do you have a  lot of community support, or are you fighting this alone? I admire your tenacity, but don't let yourself get stressed out by "wannabes".  Good luck to you brother, fight the good fight!

 

[punk_lawyer]

....Sounds like what they are doing is really scummy but in most situations like this the only people that will ultimately win are the lawyers....

 
Indeed...in an ideal world that is what happens every time.
 
Jim, I'd probably focus my attack on the publisher rather than the school district.  The school district likely has immunity from a number of liability avenues but the publisher would not have that kind of protection.  If I had the case, I would be burning up the publisher.  By burning up, I would ask for meetings face to face and then require phone calls to the Superintendent and School Board Members during the meetings.  Filing a suit costs money...maybe too much money depending on the amount of lost revenue...but I would not hesitate to have a lawyer draft the complaint and have that circulated to everyone with the notice that the suit will be filed in ___ days if you are not given attention.

 

[duglynukem]

....Sounds like what they are doing is really scummy but in most situations like this the only people that will ultimately win are the lawyers....

 
Indeed...in an ideal world that is what happens every time.
 
Jim, I'd probably focus my attack on the publisher rather than the school district.  The school district likely has immunity from a number of liability avenues but the publisher would not have that kind of protection.  If I had the case, I would be burning up the publisher.  By burning up, I would ask for meetings face to face and then require phone calls to the Superintendent and School Board Members during the meetings.  Filing a suit costs money...maybe too much money depending on the amount of lost revenue...but I would not hesitate to have a lawyer draft the complaint and have that circulated to everyone with the notice that the suit will be filed in ___ days if you are not given attention.

Sage advice.