ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The principal at Mount Vernon High School has publicly
apologized for a weight loss product advertisement she placed in the
school's yearbook.
Principal Nardos King said in a statement she did not proofread her ad
prior to publication, but has since "put practices in place to ensure that
this will not happen again."
The ad for Body Magic products claimed users could "lose up to three
sizes in 10 minutes." It also promised to control blood sugar and enhance
sex drive, according to the Mount Vernon Gazette. King sells the products
as a side business.
The ad appeared in the 2009-2010 Surveyor
yearbook and prompted complaints from some parents.
"I am writing you to express my deepest
apology for my error in judgment in placing an inappropriate ad in the school
yearbook, which advertised products that I sell during my personal time,"
Principal Nardos King said in a statement to the community.
The statement did not provide details on
King's new procedures for the yearbook. Paul Regnier, spokesman for the
Fairfax County Public School System, said the district has not made any policy
changes. He did not have specific information about the practices at Mount
Vernon High School.
Regnier said the district has always viewed
principals as publishers of student newspapers and yearbooks.
"The principal is responsible for
whatever is in the yearbook, there's no doubt about that," he
said.
Adam Goldstein, attorney advocate for the Student
Press Law Center, said a publisher is someone who spends his or her own money on
a publication. In this case, influence from the principal actually caused the
mistake.
"The principal is the problem,"
Goldstein said.
The Gazette reported the district took an "undisclosed
disciplinary action" against King. Regnier would not comment on the
actions taken.
Calls to King's office were referred to Regnier.
By Brian Schraum, SPLC staff writer
