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Students, advisers and NC State Student Senate urge Wake County to restore Snow/WordPress access or provide viable alternatives
Summary
Student journalists from multiple Wake County high schools and the NC State Student Senate said the district’s decision to block Snow and WordPress will erase archives, limit student portfolios and undermine journalism curriculum unless the district and vendors reach a workable security solution.
Dozens of Wake County student journalists and advisers told the school board on April that the district’s decision to block WordPress-based Snow sites and WordPress itself will strip student newspapers of their online archives and professional publishing tools.
Student speakers from Wakefield, Leesville, Wake Forest, Cary and other high schools described the platforms as integral to curriculum and college and career preparation. “If Snow is removed and our website goes with it, all this work we put in will disappear,” said Seth Steiner, co‑editor in chief of Wakefield’s The Howler.
Students cited both educational and practical consequences. Several said Snow and WordPress enable digital portfolios, national recognition programs and site‑level analytics used to teach audience analysis and multimedia production. Caroline Rhode, sports editor at Wakefield, said Snow co‑founder Tom Hutchinson had offered a plugin for single sign‑on and was willing to work with the district at no additional cost; she said the district had not engaged the vendor. “Snow has worked with other large districts facing similar security concerns such as Los Angeles and Broward County to successfully implement solutions,” Rhode said.
Student leaders presented concrete cost and archival concerns. Daniela Plata of Leesville Road High School said printing more frequently would be cost‑prohibitive: Leesville’s print cost is about $350 per issue, and producing 12 issues per year to replace an online platform would cost more than $4,000 annually per school paper. Students also noted awards and recognitions tied to Snow’s platform; seniors said losing the sites could erase portfolio items used in college applications.
The NC State Student Senate submitted a formal statement and asked the board to pursue technical and policy remedies to preserve student publications and historic archives. Nyla Dinh, representing NC State student government, said the university stores its own records and urged Wake County to work with vendors so student newspapers “can continue documenting, publishing, and storing their work.”
District staff told students at the meeting that technical staff were available after the session to meet with student leaders and advisers. Several students urged the board to require the district to re‑engage Snow and WordPress — or to identify and support alternative district‑approved platforms that provide the same editorial and portfolio functionality.
Board members acknowledged the security concerns that prompted the district’s decision and said staff would follow up. No formal board action on the platforms was taken at the meeting; students and advisers said they planned to pursue follow‑up discussions with district IT staff and the vendor.
