Fallbrook

Two Fallbrook High School students, suspended last fall for publishing an issue of an underground newspaper, distributed a second edition on campus Tuesday, but school officials said they did not intend to take disciplinary action against the teen-agers this time.

Juniors Philip Tiso and Daniel Gluesenkamp were suspended for several days by the Fallbrook Union High School District Board of Education last September after the debut issue of The Hatchet Job, which trustees charged contained libelous and obscene material.

The students appealed to the board, arguing that the suspensions were unfair and that their First Amendment rights to free speech had been violated. In January, the board rejected the appeals and later filed for declaratory relief in Superior Court, seeking a ruling that the disciplinary action was proper and in keeping with district policy.

The American Civil Liberties Union is representing the students and has filed a countersuit on their behalf. ACLU attorney Greg Marshall said the suit, which is pending in North County Superior Court, seeks to have the suspensions removed from the boys’ records and also seeks unspecified punitive damages from the district.

The latest issue of The Hatchet Job contains articles on campus and national events, letters to the editor and a full-page commentary on the dangers of censorship, Gluesenkamp said. The 650 copies of the newspaper were financed with advertising and donations from students and local residents who support the young journalists, he said.

Although it contains several articles critical of school policy, Tuesday’s issue “is not offensive or obscene like the first one was,” high school spokeswoman JoAnn Williams said. In addition, “the students acted very responsibly this time, and came in and discussed the issue with the principal. The school will not be taking any action on the matter.”

Gluesenkamp said that work already has begun on the third issue, which will be released during the first week of school next fall.