Food drive

In 1991, a student created the "Help Hungry Kids – Clatskanie High School Challenge" which organized all high schools in Oregon in a food drive. Awards to the top high schools were presented at the spring Oregon Student Council Convention, and over 58,300 pounds (26,400 kg) of food were collected. The student was awarded the Young American Medal for Service^[5] in 1991, which was awarded by President Bill Clinton in the East Room of the White House.^[6][7][8] She also received the "Stone Soup Award" from the Oregon Food Bank and the Tom McCall Great Kids Award.^[5]

The school was recognized by The New York Times in 1997 for participation in the National Association of Secondary School Principals "Help Hungry Students" food drive, part of an effort to include civil education in schools.^[9]

First Amendment lawsuit

In 2001, the majority of players on the varsity boys' basketball team requested via a petition that their coach quit the team.^[10] The coach refused to resign, eight players refused to take the bus to an away game that day, and the coach then suspended those players who had signed the petition.^[10] Eight players filed a lawsuit in 2003^[10] against the basketball coach, the school district, the athletic director, the district superintendent, and the school principal, claiming the coach had infringed on their First Amendment right to free speech by "suspending them in retaliation for speaking out against the coach."^{[10][11][12][13]} The players sued under the Civil Rights Act of 1871 and lost on summary judgment at the trial court in 2004.^[10]

On appeal in 2006, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the summary judgment in favor of the school district for the actions related to the refusal to get onto the bus, as this disruptive action was not protected speech.^[14] The court reversed the judgment that had been in favor of the school district concerning the actions in response to the student's petition, as the trial court had used the wrong standard to analyze the speech, remanding that part of the case back to the trial court.^[10][14] On remand, the trial court determined that the district was not entitled to summary judgment and allowed the case to proceed to trial on the actions surrounding the petition.^[15] The coach in question, Jeff Baughman,^[10] now serves as the school's principal.^[2]

Civil rights and "sextortion" lawsuit

In 2013, three female former students of the school sued the district and principal Jeff Baughman for violations of their civil right to an education by creating a culture of "sextortion," bullying, and sexual discrimination.^[16] The suit claimed that school officials were aware of activities by male students to coerce female students into providing nude photos of themselves to the boys, that they allowed male students to access the girl's locker room, and that they did not respond to complaints of harassment by the girls and their parents.^[16] The lawsuit was settled in April 2015.^[17]