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AggieJohn
05-08-2005, 02:20 PM
COLUMBUS, Georgia (AP) -- A high school student was suspended for 10 days for refusing to end a cell phone call with his mother, a soldier serving in Iraq, school officials said.

The 10-day suspension was issued because Kevin Francois was "defiant and disorderly" and was imposed in lieu of an arrest, Spencer High School assistant principal Alfred Parham said.

The confrontation Wednesday began after the 17-year-old junior got a call at lunchtime from his mother, Sgt. 1st Class Monique Bates, who left in January for a one-year tour with the 203rd Forward Support Battalion.

Cell phones are allowed on campus but may not be used during school hours. When a teacher told him to hang up, he refused. He said he told the teacher, "This is my mom in Iraq. I'm not about to hang up on my mom."

Parham said the teen's suspension was based on his reaction to the teacher's request. He said the teen used profanity when taken to the office.

"Kevin got defiant and disorderly," Parham said. "When a kid becomes out of control like that they can either be arrested or suspended for 10 days. Now being that his mother is in Iraq, we're not trying to cause her any undue hardship; he was suspended for 10 days."

GOFOR2
05-08-2005, 02:37 PM
i read this article the other day.
Where is common sense in all this? Why not let the kid talk to his mom who is in Iraq. Hell i would have been irate too, if he actually was, if my stupid teacher didnt let me talk to my mom, who is in Iraq. What the heck is wrong with that teacher?

AggieJohn
05-08-2005, 04:06 PM
there are two ways you approach this...

the gofor2 way...just let the kid talk to his mom, make him go outside the classroom and that would be it, yes your breaking the rules

or if you want to be strict with the rules, go about making the kid hang up the phone and inform him of what reprecussions results from this, kind of like the school did, but the school shouldn't have responded with a 10 days suspsension, send the kid home for a day for being disruptive

TheDOCTORdre
05-08-2005, 04:10 PM
see heres how i see it, the kid gets the call in lunch, honestly who is he bothering. Now if they were in the middle of class, thats different, but it was during lunch, and IMO a 10 day suspension is ridiculous.

AggieJohn
05-08-2005, 04:11 PM
exactly my thoughts

lepfan
05-08-2005, 05:07 PM
Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
see heres how i see it, the kid gets the call in lunch, honestly who is he bothering. Now if they were in the middle of class, thats different, but it was during lunch, and IMO a 10 day suspension is ridiculous.

My thoughts too! There are exceptions -- and this situation would be the exception. Grant it he should not have become disrespectful, but I am inclined to think that he was the only one being disrespectful in his tone.

j_dog
05-08-2005, 05:24 PM
Seems to me to be just another example of Zero Tolerance equaling Zero Common Sense. :(

BrahmaMom
05-08-2005, 05:44 PM
What nonsense! It may have been the last time the boy ever got to talk to his mom. I would have been inappropriate in my response, too, had I been in his shoes. I can't believe what happens in schools these days. From the staff and administrators to the students, I don't know who is more out of line. I try to teach my kids to respect adults, esp authority figures but it would be hard to explain this one.

sinton66
05-08-2005, 05:48 PM
I agree j_dog. The school is way out of line on this one. Seems some people in this country have no appreciation for the sacrifices that our troops make for us. After all, it sounds as though the mother timed the call to coincide with lunch so she WOULDN'T interrupt any classes. If it was going to be a big deal, why would they allow cell phones on campus at all? What is this? They can have them but may not use them during school hours? That doesn't make much sense. What do they do about emergencies that happen during school hours?

I think this school needs a call from the Pentagon or maybe even the White House. They should definitely re-think this one.

mustang04
05-08-2005, 06:03 PM
this pisses me off, i woulda cussed back at the teacher for even TRYING to enforce that rule under the circumstances, thats just crap

Owen B
05-08-2005, 07:15 PM
The kid wasn't suspended for the call, but for the way he acted after he was caught breaking the rules. He knew the rules and his particular situation before he took that call. He could have avoided a problem by talking to the appropriate teacher or administrator ahead of time. If they had known the situation, they almost certainly would have been sympathetic and have made some sort of exception in his case, perhaps by allowing him to take the call in the office. The time to ask for an exception is before the need arises, or immediately when the need arises, not after having been caught breaking the rules. The way to ask for an exception is to explain the reasons up front, not to start cussing people out after you’ve been caught violating the rules.

TheDOCTORdre
05-08-2005, 07:20 PM
Originally posted by Owen B
not to start cussing people out after you’ve been caught violating the rules.
We dont know that he started cussing out the teacher immediately, how do we know that he did not try and explain his situation to the teacher and the teacher would not listen to his explanation. In fact the report says that he used profanity after he was taken to the office. The way I see it he tried to explain his situation and they just didnt care, which would invokle profanity from me as well

j_dog
05-08-2005, 07:25 PM
99% of the time I will back the school administrators. I cannot back them on this one. It doesn't excuse the kids verbal response, but still I think the school owes him an apology, and if anyone is suspended, it should be the school official who tried to make him cut off the call. His mother is defending our country, you and me, and they should have cut him some slack. This is all slanted to the story about the boy. Think how the mother, who is under who knows what kind of stress, would have felt to have had her call cut short.

Owen B
05-08-2005, 07:42 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/05/06/phone.iraq/

If this account is correct, the school acted appropriately, in my opinion.

Note the last paragraph. The kid could and should have avoided the problem.

TheDOCTORdre
05-08-2005, 07:44 PM
Now I was unaware of the things stated in that last paragraph, but still gotta wonder who was he disturbing by taking the call during lunch

Owen B
05-08-2005, 07:53 PM
He probably wasn't disturbing anyone, but that's not the only reason for the rule. My point is that all the kid had to do to avoid a problem was to calmly explain his situation, either ahead of time or immediately upon getting the call. Reasonable people understand that exceptions to rules are sometimes appropriate. Responsible people arrange for such exceptions. Had he done that, there wouldn't have been a problem. Even after the problem arose, had he conducted himself more appropriately, a solution could have been reached. Instead, he became so belligerent that he nearly got himself arrested. It was that belligerence that got him suspended.

I do think that it would be appropriate for the school to arrange a calm conference with the boy and his aunt, who is his guardian while his mother is in Iraq. Depending on how that goes, perhaps they can readmit him.

GOFOR2
05-08-2005, 08:37 PM
Originally posted by Owen B
The kid wasn't suspended for the call, but for the way he acted after he was caught breaking the rules. He knew the rules and his particular situation before he took that call. He could have avoided a problem by talking to the appropriate teacher or administrator ahead of time. If they had known the situation, they almost certainly would have been sympathetic and have made some sort of exception in his case, perhaps by allowing him to take the call in the office. The time to ask for an exception is before the need arises, or immediately when the need arises, not after having been caught breaking the rules. The way to ask for an exception is to explain the reasons up front, not to start cussing people out after you’ve been caught violating the rules.

you dont know that.
the bottom line is that, the teacher in this case should have used some kind of common sense, but instead chose to employ the zero tolerance policy. come on, look at the situation! you wouldnt cuss someone out for not letting you talk to your mom, a mom you may never see again. how dumb is that?

AggieJohn
05-08-2005, 08:39 PM
Originally posted by GOFOR2
you dont know that.
the bottom line is that, the teacher in this case should have used some kind of common sense, but instead chose to employ the zero tolerance policy. come on, look at the situation! you wouldnt cuss someone out for not letting you talk to your mom, a mom you may never see again. how dumb is that?

if that mother get's killed imagine the hooplah in the news about that

Gobbla2001
05-08-2005, 08:45 PM
I myself would have just pulled the kid aside and reminded him of the rules... maybe would have even let him continue the phone call a tad longer...

HOWEVER, rules are rules...

You can't favor one kid over any other just because his mother is in Iraq...

Hell, every kid in that school could lose their mom etc... in an accident after they drop them off at school in the morning...

I myself was this young man's age once, and if my mother was in a war, I could see myself using that simple fact to gain other things...

The kid coulda been talkin' to his girlfriend, the teacher didn't know that...

Kinda like 'I didn't show up to school yesterday, my Grandmother died.....again'...

I myself woulda let the kid talk, because that is my disgression, BUT, rules are rules, you can't blame someone for actually upholding them...

This teacher let everyone of those students know that they will not be favored over others because of personal circumstances...

I say good job, teacher! You did better than I would have...

10 days, though? Geez!

AggieJohn
05-08-2005, 08:50 PM
well they knew it was his mom

she called during lunch

they shouldn't of allowed cells in the first place and this wouldn't of been a problem

Gosh i remember when having a cell at school meant you could get 10 days just for having it

Gobbla2001
05-08-2005, 08:56 PM
Originally posted by AggieJohn
well they knew it was his mom

she called during lunch



Didn't read anywhere where it said they knew it was his mom...

They may now, but from what I've read, they didn't then...

Did they check his called ID before he answered or something? How did they for sure know?

Did the teacher listen for a while and decide "Oh, it's his mom, I'll go ahead and tell him to hang up now..."????


The fact is, they didn't know for sure... I lied to teachers so many times in high school it isn't funny...

The teacher didn't know...

AggieJohn
05-08-2005, 09:26 PM
Originally posted by Gobbla2001
The teacher didn't know...


should of asked

Gobbla2001
05-08-2005, 10:33 PM
Originally posted by AggieJohn
should of asked

True, because no one lies these days... I forgot...

Some people you just can't reach...

LH Panther Mom
05-08-2005, 10:47 PM
Originally posted by AggieJohn
should of asked

Yes, the teacher could've asked, but there's really no way to know for sure who it was even with asking. If the rule is there, it's there for all phone calls. Since the school regularly made arrangements for the children of parents in the military, the rule should stand.

Owen B
05-09-2005, 12:09 AM
Originally posted by GOFOR2
you dont know that. [That the kid was suspended for how he acted, rather than for the call]I know that as well as any of us know that the incident occurred at all. Every single news report cites the kid's conduct toward the teacher and administrators, not the phone call, as the reason for the suspension.

Owen B
05-09-2005, 12:10 AM
Aggie, it's "should have" and "wouldn't have," not "should of" and "wouldn't of."

AggieJohn
05-09-2005, 12:15 AM
owen it's slang talk, you got what it said, that's how some of us talk when we post

big daddy russ
05-09-2005, 12:25 AM
Originally posted by Gobbla2001
You can't favor one kid over any other just because his mother is in Iraq...

Hell, every kid in that school could lose their mom etc... in an accident after they drop them off at school in the morning...
So are the chances of your mom dying while driving to a soccer game just as great as if she's in a war?

I just try to put myself in his situation. If one of my loved ones called me from another country during wartime and you tried to take that phone away from me, you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. I completely agree with j-dog about the zero tolerance policy. This was a complete load of garbage IMO.

Owen B
05-09-2005, 12:31 AM
No, it’s not slang. It’s a demonstration of your ignorance of how to write the informal language we all use. We all use the contraction, “should’ve” for “should have.” When spoken, “should’ve” sounds like “should of” but it is not. Not knowing that, you write “should of.” Feel free to keep doing that, if you wish, but you demonstrate your ignorance when you do. (I wouldn’t have commented about it at all, had you not made the same error repeatedly in posts criticizing a high school such as the one where you should have learned the information I just gave you.)

Owen B
05-09-2005, 12:34 AM
Russ, I'm opposed to most "zero tolerance" policies, but this is not an example of one. In fact, that school has a policy of working with kids to allow them to receive phone calls at school from their parents serving overseas.

AggieJohn
05-09-2005, 03:44 AM
Originally posted by Owen B
No, it’s not slang. It’s a demonstration of your ignorance of how to write the informal language we all use. We all use the contraction, “should’ve” for “should have.” When spoken, “should’ve” sounds like “should of” but it is not. Not knowing that, you write “should of.” Feel free to keep doing that, if you wish, but you demonstrate your ignorance when you do. (I wouldn’t have commented about it at all, had you not made the same error repeatedly in posts criticizing a high school such as the one where you should have learned the information I just gave you.)

Owen B's # of posts: 176
(0.14 posts per day)
Aggiejohn's # of posts:3459
(3.57 posts per day)

i think i know how to talk on the board

LH Panther Mom
05-09-2005, 06:41 AM
Originally posted by AggieJohn
Owen B's # of posts: 176
(0.14 posts per day)
Aggiejohn's # of posts:3459
(3.57 posts per day)

i think i know how to talk on the board

Sorry AJ, but # of posts doesn't really mean a rat's butt in this case. :p He might not have a lot of posts, but he has been around longer than the majority of us.

Gobbla2001
05-09-2005, 07:12 AM
Originally posted by big daddy russ
So are the chances of your mom dying while driving to a soccer game just as great as if she's in a war?

I just try to put myself in his situation. If one of my loved ones called me from another country during wartime and you tried to take that phone away from me, you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. I completely agree with j-dog about the zero tolerance policy. This was a complete load of garbage IMO.

Rules are rules, Russ... I'd try not to favor one student over another...

Black_Magic
05-09-2005, 08:57 AM
Look , we dont know what was going through either persons mind at the time. Im sure teachers hear excuses all the time from students as to why they are taking a call. Cell phones at many schools have been baned all togeather because the kids cant stop using them. This teacher maay have tought it was just another excuse from some kid wanting to use the phone. The bottom Line here is that the student got very ugly and used profanity in the situation. Come on folks, Mom cant call in the16 hour period outside school hours? Maybe the kid called his mom during his lunch break. I dont think the deal is the call so much as the attitude the kid took when the teacher tried to enforce a school rule. If you let one student talk on the phone to thier mother in Iraq, you will have 20 more who say they have parents in Iraq talking on the phone at lunch.

j_dog
05-09-2005, 10:06 AM
Originally posted by Owen B
http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/05/06/phone.iraq/

If this account is correct, the school acted appropriately, in my opinion.

Note the last paragraph. The kid could and should have avoided the problem.
Thank you for the link. I see what you mean, but it does not change the fact that as soon as the school officials realized the situtation, and SHOULD have realized the stress the kid was under, to simply say, "We understand" and let it go. No, they had to "punish" him.

What I seem to be hearing is that the kids are supposed to behave perfectly in all situations, no matter how stressful. But, the administrators get a pass if they mess up. Kids are kids, but the adults are supposed to be adults.

Black_Magic
05-09-2005, 10:16 AM
Originally posted by j_dog
Thank you for the link. I see what you mean, but it does not change the fact that as soon as the school officials realized the situtation, and SHOULD have realized the stress the kid was under, to simply say, "We understand" and let it go. No, they had to "punish" him.

What I seem to be hearing is that the kids are supposed to behave perfectly in all situations, no matter how stressful. But, the administrators get a pass if they mess up. Kids are kids, but the adults are supposed to be adults. Yes they had to punish him. if he is cursing at a teacher or administrator then he should get punished . I think some of us are missing the point. It has been said in many reports that the Issue is NOT THE CALL. The issue is how he acted toward the teacher or school officials.

On another note. Kids are kids yes but without rules the become heethans. Today Kids Say things to teachers I would have never dreamed of saying 20 years ago.

Phantom Stang
05-09-2005, 10:24 AM
Notice that the Superintendent makes the teacher and the rest of the faculty, sound totally blameless, and perfectly understanding of student's concerns. :thinking:

This sounds like damage control in my opinion.;)

Black_Magic
05-09-2005, 10:32 AM
So If a student is using foul language at school he should have no consiquense? Look , you dont get suspended for saying SH**t or the F- word at school. You get punished. You get suspended for causing a big ruckuss or blowing your top to the point the have to go above a simple Lunch detention for a punishment. We should be able to read between the lines here and understand that 99.5% of administrators have level heads.

j_dog
05-09-2005, 10:33 AM
Originally posted by Phantom Stang
Notice that the Superintendent makes the teacher and the rest of the faculty, sound totally blameless, and perfectly understanding of student's concerns. :thinking:

This sounds like damage control in my opinion.;)
I think you are right on with your comment! :)

big daddy russ
05-09-2005, 11:49 AM
Originally posted by Black_Magic
Yes they had to punish him. if he is cursing at a teacher or administrator then he should get punished . I think some of us are missing the point. It has been said in many reports that the Issue is NOT THE CALL. The issue is how he acted toward the teacher or school officials.

On another note. Kids are kids yes but without rules the become heethans. Today Kids Say things to teachers I would have never dreamed of saying 20 years ago.
You're absolutely right about the things kids say these days. Heck, I just graduated about seven years ago, and I don't think anyone in my graduating class would've even thought about cussing out a teacher. Being disrespectful and occasionally backtalking a teacher, sure, but nothing to the extent that I hear of nowadays.... and the occasional backtalk was pretty rare.

But back to point at hand, I think the issue is the call. If they had just told the young man to step outside to take the call would there have been an issue? Saying that the issue isn't the call is just passing the buck. He would've got in trouble for not giving back the cell phone in the first place, he just got in more because he said something about it. He was irate. I would be too. But I hold the school partially to blame for this mess. That was an error in judgment and I'll bet if you went back and talked to the teachers candidly most of them would admit it.

These administrators, and most people for that matter, don't like to admit when they've made a mistake. Yes, other kids may try to use it as an excuse from now on, but if you just take two seconds to look at the caller ID on the phone or talk to the person on the other end of the line it would solve the problem real quick.

AggieJohn
05-09-2005, 11:54 AM
Originally posted by Black_Magic
for saying SH**t
is that shoot
is that shirt

mustang04
05-09-2005, 11:57 AM
Originally posted by Black_Magic
Yes they had to punish him. if he is cursing at a teacher or administrator then he should get punished . I think some of us are missing the point. It has been said in many reports that the Issue is NOT THE CALL. The issue is how he acted toward the teacher or school officials.

On another note. Kids are kids yes but without rules the become heethans. Today Kids Say things to teachers I would have never dreamed of saying 20 years ago.

but....in the same sense....the reason that he bad-mouthed the techer was cuz he was being told to follow the rules, it was the cold heartedness that made him mad....i sure if he was on the phone w/ a friend and was told to put it up, he woulda done so no prblem, but his MOM who's in IRAQ

AP Panther Fan
05-09-2005, 01:14 PM
You have all made good arguments for both sides....but, regardless of who is right or wrong in this situation...a 10 day suspension is over the top.:eek: :mad:

Black_Magic
05-09-2005, 02:25 PM
Originally posted by AP Panther Fan
You have all made good arguments for both sides....but, regardless of who is right or wrong in this situation...a 10 day suspension in over the top.:eek: :mad: 10 day suspension for talking on the cell phone yes. for Blowing his top and cursing out the teacher and or principal. NO. Everyone can have a bad day. I believe this kid mouthed off and was brought to the office. I believe he is Using the Mother from Iraq call in order to cover up his rediculous mouthing and to play on the sympathy of the public. I would bet that if all the facts of the case come out completely , he will look like a smart mouthed punk who is trying to use Mom in Iraq as an excuse in this situation.

TheDOCTORdre
05-09-2005, 02:59 PM
It is clear that there is no clear way of viewing this except for the fact that steps could have been taken by both sides to keep it from escalating to this level, neither side is blameless in the issue

GOFOR2
05-09-2005, 05:47 PM
everyone is talking about the kid and his actions.
but has anyone thought about the teacher?
where is the common sense here? should the adult not be the one to use better judgment. i dont think i could keep a kid from talking to his mom, who is in Iraq. was this the only time mom could call? was she fixing to head out into a hot zone and was making a call before she went out? I dont care how much the teacher is defended, better judgment should have been used on her part. noone here has gotten ticked when someone didnt believe you or kept you from talking to a loved one, whom you have not seen a long while, like your mom. I would have been just as ticked as he was, and yes I believe I would have made the same scene if not worse.

Gobbla2001
05-09-2005, 05:54 PM
Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
It is clear that there is no clear way of viewing this except for the fact that steps could have been taken by both sides to keep it from escalating to this level, neither side is blameless in the issue

I like your view... fair enough...

I think a lot of people are just goin' off of 'feelings' instead of logic...

Feelings say 'let the boy talk to his mother'...

Logic says 'so he stays on the cell-phone and everyone else starts using theirs...'

I wouldn't have said 'oh, your mom in Iraq, GET OFF THE PHONE'

I would have said 'Okay, come with me, we'll go to my classroom (insert other desired destination here) and you can carry on your conversation there after I speak to your mother...'

'Hello, Mother of this boy, I'm going to let him talk, but next time just call the school, we do not allow cell phones to be used on campus and we do not want the other students to feel that your son is favored above them..." You know, call the school, like you had to BEFORE cell phones...

If I were the boy, I would have continued talking on the phone, I will admit that... However, I would expect the consequences...

My step-bro will be in Iraq soon... I am not allowed to use my cell phone while working...

But if he were to call while I was working, well, we don't get service in the shop, but say we DID... I would answer and I would talk to him, but I would also EXPECT a write-up or whatever type of critisism I would have earned due to breaking the rules, rules for every person there...

LH Panther Mom
05-10-2005, 08:37 AM
High school junior punished after talking to mom in Iraq
Monday, May 9, 2005 Posted: 2:43 PM EDT (1843 GMT)

(CNN) -- A Georgia student, suspended after violating his high school's cell-phone ban to talk to his mother in Iraq, returned to class on Monday.

Officials at Spencer High School in Columbus shortened a 10-day suspension for Kevin Francois, 17.

Although cell-phone use is prohibited at the school, officials said Kevin was being punished for using profanity after a teacher interrupted his call from Iraq -- where his mother, a U.S. Army soldier, is serving in the Iraq war.

Kevin denied cursing during the incident.

On Friday, the incident attracted national news media attention, prompting a flood of e-mail to the school. By Friday afternoon, school officials told Kevin his suspension would be shortened to the two days he had served.

On Monday, Principal Olivia Rutledge, Assistant Principal Al Parham and two school counselors met with Kevin and his guardian, according to a statement released by the school.

"Kevin is now back in class at Spencer, following a conference in which behavior expectations were discussed and methods of supporting Kevin were outlined," the statement said.

"Kevin will not be penalized for his two-day suspension, and his guardian will meet on Tuesday with Kevin's counselor and teachers regarding his overall academic progress this semester."

The incident began Wednesday, when Kevin's mother called him from Iraq while he was at school on a lunch break. School officials said Kevin used profanity after a teacher interrupted the conversation, citing the school's cell-phone ban.

"The suspension was really incidental to the telephone. It was the behavior of the student, using profanity, screaming at the teacher," said John Phillips Jr., superintendent for the Muscogee County School District.

"He became very belligerent and very threatening to her" when she asked him to turn over the phone, Phillips said.

Kevin, a junior, disputed the school's version of the incident. "I was just talking to them and they wouldn't listen to me about talking to my mom," he said last week. "I didn't curse at them."

Phillips said the teacher was not aware at the time that Kevin was on the phone with his mother in Iraq.

"I'm sure if she was aware of that, she would have acted much differently in dealing with the matter," Phillips said.

The boy lives with an aunt, who is his guardian while his mother is away, Phillips said. He said Kevin knew it was against school policy to use a cell phone on school grounds.

The school, which is near Fort Benning, often arranges for students to receive calls from parents who are deployed with the military, Phillips said. More than 3,700 students in the district are from military families.

Black_Magic
05-10-2005, 08:50 AM
The whole story comes out! Exactly like many thought. It was about cursing and yelling at the teacher. Not talking to his mom in Iraq. this kid clearly needs to learn how to handle his mouth with adults. The teacher turns out didnt know who he was talking to and got screamed and cursed at when she told him to hand over the phone. Good for the school.!:clap: :thumbsup: :clap:

j_dog
05-10-2005, 09:50 AM
What I see from this is that the school administration finally realized what a bonehead move they had made and corrected it. I applaud them for coming to their senses! :)

And why would we automatically believe the administration's version of the event, and automatically dismiss the student's version? Under the constitution we are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Oh, I forgot, school, kids are presumed guilty until proven innocent. Interestingly, a key point that the kid was talking to his mother who was calling from Iraq is not in dispute. Gosh folks, have a heart!

"Kevin, a junior, disputed the school's version of the incident. "I was just talking to them and they wouldn't listen to me about talking to my mom," he said last week. "I didn't curse at them." "

mustang68
05-10-2005, 09:52 AM
What is not obvious, is the past history the teachers and school have with this young man. If this had been an isolated incident, nothing would have happened.
School rules are very arbitrary and in many cases ridiculous, but given today's young people the rules must be followed exactly, swiftly, and consistently or they have no use.
There was no way for the teacher to know who was on the phone, however given where the school is located it is hard to believe a policy covering this possible scenerio was not already in place.

TheDOCTORdre
05-10-2005, 10:26 AM
This report still does not clear up anything. It says the boy denies cursing at the teacher. I am not saying that I believe that the boy is telling the truth, but the stories still conflict. Nothing has been proven, and or disproven.

Black_Magic
05-10-2005, 10:53 AM
Originally posted by j_dog
And why would we automatically believe the administration's version of the event, and automatically dismiss the student's version? Under the constitution we are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Oh, I forgot, school, kids are presumed guilty until proven innocent. Interestingly, a key point that the kid was talking to his mother who was calling from Iraq is not in dispute. Gosh folks, have a heart!

"Kevin, a junior, disputed the school's version of the incident. "I was just talking to them and they wouldn't listen to me about talking to my mom," he said last week. "I didn't curse at them." " Now lets see... hmmm they suspended him for cursing at a teacher for 10 days. OR they suspended him for not handing over a cell phone when they asked for it?? not to hard for a smart person to come up with the scenario that probably happened. Look. You realy think this School and teacher would suspend a kid for talking on a cell phone and not handing it over as quickly as requested????:nerd: this reminds me so some parents who insist the kid did nothing because the kid SAYS he did nothing. You think teachers and principals dont have enough to doo without making crap up to deal with?:rolleyes:

TheDOCTORdre
05-10-2005, 11:02 AM
What gets me is the school backed down from its ten day and changed it to a 2 day suspension. If it were me and the student was really as beligerent and threatening as he was made out to be, theres no way I am reducing the suspension.

mikecheck
05-10-2005, 12:28 PM
In my observation, don't blame the teacher, he/she was following direction. The suspension came from the principal. The history of the student probably played a part in the suspension, but as an administrator, and I have met some that have no business in that capacity, he made a decision and based on his credentials should have stuck with if that is truly how he felt. On the other hand the Mom calling at in-opportune time, well there may be some posters on here that can probably agree with me that over there, there is no opportune time. When you get a chance to talk to a loved one back home, take it, there may not be another. I know no one disputes that, but I just thought I'd mention that.

Owen B
05-10-2005, 03:41 PM
Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
What gets me is the school backed down from its ten day and changed it to a 2 day suspension. If it were me and the student was really as beligerent and threatening as he was made out to be, theres no way I am reducing the suspension. The school readmitted the kid after a conference with him and his aunt. That's just what I suggested a few days ago as a reasonable possibility, depending on how such a conference went.

LH Panther Mom
05-10-2005, 03:45 PM
Originally posted by Owen B
The school readmitted the kid after a conference with him and his aunt. That's just what I suggested a few days ago as a reasonable possibility, depending on how such a conference went.

That was the intent of the school all along, according to the original story.

The student lives with his guardian, an aunt, while his mother is deployed, the superintendent said. Both are to attend a meeting at the school Wednesday.

"We are endeavoring to have the young man readmitted after a three-day suspension, which was the first option for him. It was only after greater defiance and profanity that the suspension was extended," Phillips said.

Owen B
05-10-2005, 03:48 PM
I didn't remember that they'd already scheduled a conference, but that must be where I got the idea. Looks like the school has been trying all along to be reasonable.

marlin fan
05-10-2005, 04:25 PM
hmm good points from both sides. i think maybe the mother should have called the school and asked to speak to her son... here at MISD we can take phone calls in the office from parents ect. and i dont really think the boy will really care about the 10 day thing lol he will prolly see it as an early vacation for him!!

Gobbla2001
05-10-2005, 05:54 PM
Originally posted by mustang04
but....in the same sense....the reason that he bad-mouthed the techer was cuz he was being told to follow the rules

Yah, just the other day at work I was told to put on my safety-glasses while walking through the plant, so I bad-mouthed the safety-supervisor???

People are responsible for their own actions...

Yah, maybe he's young, but if he receives no punishment for those actions, he'll never learn...

Sorry, but I had a strap taken to my arse every time I did something wrong, and I am 10 times more respectful for it than I would have been without it, as well as most people I've known who have had the same raising... And before everyone gets all outta wack, I'm not saying none of you who didn't have that raising are not respectful, you may be more respectful than me...

But one thing is for sure, telling the kid the only reason he acted wrongly was because he was told to follow the rules isn't gunna help one damned bit...

mwynn05
05-10-2005, 06:25 PM
Tha administration has to back their teachers. Ask a teacher who has been at a school where your adminitrators do not back you. I bet there are guidelines for this situation at this school and this kid did not follow them. I do agree 10 days is too much I think it sould be 1-2 and there should be a conference with who ever he is living with, him, the principal, and the teacher involved.

AggieJohn
05-10-2005, 10:47 PM
basically this thing got too much attention