Members of the Pittsburgh Allderdice High School community are raising concerns about the latest edition of the school newspaper’s annual satirical edition, according to Pittsburgh Public Schools. 

It includes headlines like “Local Dice Student Kills PPS Superintendent in Protest” and “One Teacher’s Baby Comes Out Mixed: Science Department Scrambles to Find The Father.”

Another page of the newspaper KDKA-TV reviewed lists betting odds for who the father is.

The fake articles are part of “The Forward”‘s April 1st edition, titled “The Backword.”

Many of the articles are what you’d expect from a satirical high school paper, like “Chaos Ensues as Lunch Policies Fail.” 

But it is those other headlines which are turning heads. One fake article said a teacher stormed the Capitol on January 6th and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are investigating students and teachers.

“It’s really just a bunch of crude humor towards people like the teachers,” said freshman student Robert Macon-Connors. “I think it’s funny. I find it really funny. It’s but that’s like my humor. Some people don’t have my humor, who may not understand it.”

A PPS spokesperson told KDKA-TV that while there are concerns among the school community, no students would be disciplined. 

“The Pittsburgh Public Schools supports students’ rights to free speech,” the spokesperson said. “School principals may require students to submit materials for prior approval before distribution on school property.”

In this case, the spokesperson said, the student writers followed the rules outlined in the student code of conduct. “However, the impact these articles have had on members of the school and District community cannot be overlooked,” the spokesperson said. “To foster understanding and promote dialogue, District administration has met with the student writers as well as school staff.”

A picture of the superintendent was removed from the paper’s website during that time, but the spokesperson said they were unsure why. 

The district also blocked access to the website for The Backword in their school. 

“If they didn’t ban it completely. I feel like it shouldn’t have been blocked on school computers,” Macon-Connors said they are “reviewing the longstanding presence and impact of the satirical publication.”

We reached out to the student paper’s editor-in-chief and faculty advisor for comment and did not hear back.

In the paper, it says comments and concerns about an article in the paper can be submitted “to a garbage can near you.” 

Pennsylvania State Police said patrol troopers at every station across the commonwealth are now equipped with body-worn cameras, weeks ahead of schedule.

State police said they’ve outfitted more than 3,000 troopers across 89 stations with body-worn cameras, and as part of the initiative, the mobile video recorders in more than 1,400 patrol vehicles were upgraded. 

The cameras will record public interactions and calls for service, providing video documentation of encounters and investigations.

“Our ability to maintain efficient operations relies heavily on the trust placed in us by the communities we serve,” Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris said in a news release. “With the completion of our body-worn camera rollout, we aim to strengthen that trust by documenting our public interactions and demonstrating our commitment to transparency, accountability, and respectful police services.”

State police began the rollout in the summer of 2023 after entering into a five-year contract with Arizona-based Axon. Police said body-worn cameras and mobile video recorders enhance evidence collection at crash and crime scenes, helping troopers prepare reports and court testimony. It also helps better train cadets and troopers. 

State lawmakers applauded the rollout. 

“As the rollout of body cameras comes to completion, I’m thrilled we will see improved transparency with exchanges between officers and civilians,” Sen. Devin Robinson, an Allegheny County Republican, said. “Body cameras truly do provide the clearest way to piece together an interaction in its entirety, which means better protections are in place, liability risk is reduced, and safety is strengthened for all involved.”

“Our state troopers are out there 24 hours a day, seven days a week in every county in the Commonwealth to keep us safe,” Rep. Chris Pielli, a Chester County Democrat, said. “Equipping these dedicated public servants with body cameras not only keeps them safer, it increases trust and accountability from both the public and the troopers alike. I was honored to fight and win alongside the Governor, the Pennsylvania State Police leadership, and the Department of Corrections to help expand body camera authorization as a best practice.”