WHS School Play No Longer WHS School Play

A heated dispute between a school official and a drama teacher dominated this week's meeting of the Whitehall public school board as the teacher denounced recent administrative efforts to distance the district from the high school's latest theater production.

The dispute had been brewing for days, with district administrators initially attributing their concerns about the play to a four-year-old sex education law, only to backtrack and cite the production's suicide themes. None of the explanations satisfied drama teacher Elizabeth Pullman, who sought to set the record straight for trustees Tuesday night.

Students have been rehearsing the show for months in preparation for their appearance at the Montana Thespian Festival Jan. 24 and 25 in Missoula. But school administrators this month instructed Pullman to move a local performance off school property due to the content of the play they're set to perform, "I Don't Want to Talk About It." The production is a series of coming-of-age monologues and scenes by playwright Bradley Hayward dealing with topics including bullying, gossip and suicide.

According to Pullman, the back-and-forth started after Whitehall school officials reviewed the script in early January and told her some of the material could run afoul of the 2021 Legislature's Senate Bill 99. Since its passage, the law's limits on sex- and relationship-centric conversations with students have reportedly chilled educators' ability to respond to student-led inquiries.

Pullman, who owns and operates the Whitehall Ledger newspaper but has not reported on the situation due to ethical conflicts, shared emails with MTFP documenting the administration's stance that sections of the script may not conform with recent Montana law. School leaders informed Pullman the play could not be performed on school grounds, recommending instead that it be moved to the local Star Theatre, which Pullman's non-profit operates, as a community production.

The national American Civil Liberties Union challenged the district's legal assessment when they were brought the matter from a concerned parent, and a letter of support from Hayward noted that the play - previously performed by hundreds of drama groups throughout the country, including three Montana schools - has helped individual students struggling with complex and sensitive issues.

On Monday, January 6, the focus of the Whitehall administration's hesitancy about the script shifted away from SB 99. During the school board meeting, Superintendent Hannah Nieskens said that after reading the play herself, she believes the content does not meet state standards for suicide awareness and prevention in schools.

"There was no message of hope, resilience or how to ask for help in the play, which must be included as part of that experience," Nieskens said. The superintendent reiterated her stance in an email to MTFP on Thursday, writing that the district "does not have a Senate Bill 99 issue with the play" and that its decision reflected guidance from suicide prevention specialists at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Pullman pushed back on that position too. After speaking independently with experts at DPHHS and the state Office of Public Instruction, she was already planning to include a trigger warning and on-site suicide awareness resources during the production. Pullman added she would have been open to selecting a different play if school officials had reviewed the script earlier. But at this point, the students have developed a strong attachment to their lines and roles, and they've run out of time to rehearse something new.

"I wasn't given that opportunity, and now we're, what, two weeks out from festival?" Pullman said, noting the drama team is scheduled to travel Jan. 23. "I can't tell these kids they have to learn a new play. There's no way."