Teacher's deletion

upheld by U.S. judge

COLUMBUS (P-A federal judge here has ruled a teacher did not violate her student's constitutional rights when she snipped poems with the words "bare breasts." "free love, "harlot" and "lesbian" from Edgar Lee Master's classic "Spoon River Anthology."

Students have no constitutional right to receive information which a teacher might choose not to give . them, said U. S. District Judge Joseph P. Kinneary.

The 11-page ruling was issued in a suit filed in 1972 by a Hilliard High School ninth grader against the Scioto-Darby School Board and several school officials.

In the suit, compiled by the Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Daniel A. Kramer

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complained that the teacher, Mary R. Meyer, removed three poems from the book before it was distributed to about 200 students.

Mrs. Meyer has told the students she did not consider the poems proper reading for 14-year-olds. She said she objected to the words in those poems.

"Spoon River Anthology," written in 1915, contains more than 200 poems portraying life in a small Illinois town. It has had 77 printings in several languages.

Kinneary said that since the students paid $1.25 each for the books, Mrs. Meyer might be charged with damaging personal property.

But that is not in the jurisdiction of the federal court, he noted.