Students Call Protest Punishment Too Harsh

[yasmina]

Whoa!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/us/07protest.html?ref=education

CHICAGO, Nov. 6 — A school superintendent’s decision to suspend, and perhaps expel, about two dozen students who took part in a protest against the Iraq war at a suburban high school drew criticism Tuesday from the students and their parents, who demanded that their children be allowed to return to classes.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northwest/chi-mortonprotest_07_bothnov07,1,3791251.story

Parents and students at Morton West High School are accusing school officials of showing favoritism in dishing out disciplinary measures after an Iraq war protest at the school last week.

<snip>

They said that some students with lower grades were given 10-day suspensions and face expulsion, while students favored by officials were given only five-day suspensions and do not face expulsion. The suspensions began the day after the protest, parents at Tuesday's rally said.

Wow, so many angles here to consider. Rights of students to protest. Lying by admistration re: punishment. Discrimination of levels of punishment based on student achievements.

Thoughts and/or opinions?

 

[Christopher Robin]

(Just to get the ball rolling)

Protest in the school during a school day?
Some level of punishment is justified.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I don't like taking away the student's right to protest, but they do also have to learn appropriate time and place for such protest.

The one thing that I REALLY don't like is that the punishment was not the same for all. If a school rule has be violated, it shouldn't matter what your grade point average is or whether you're a varsity athlete. You get the same punishment that every other student gets.

Was this rule something that the students should have known before hand?

 

[JR6ooo4]

Not a wise choice to do it during the day when they are scheduled for classes.

But it is worse to show special treatment towards some. Shouldn't the teachers and staff be setting an example of fairness.

Mikeeee

is fairness a word?

 

[Sunny37]

I agree, not a wise choice to do this during school hours.

 

[Sir Ron]

Protesting is fine. I encourage it. However, when you disobey school officials and disrupt school, the punishment is NOT for being against the Iraq war. It's for being disorderly.

Now if punishments were not even, they might be based on prior history of problems. That I have no problem with. However, if it is just favoritism, then I do have a problem with it.

 

[LakeAriel]

They should not protest during class hours when military recruiters are not allowed to recruit during school hours.

 

[JPN4265]

Always remember, you have the right to protest in our country, but all decisions have consequences. But you can still protest the consequences.

 

[SpecialK]

I don't buy it. Schools are always hampered in explaining their position in situations like this because of confidentiality laws. Any acitivity that causes a disruption to the school day and/or hampers another students access to education is punishable. There's more to this story.

I wonder how many of these kids would have shown up for a protest at
6:00am? Seems like they should have considered their college aps before they decided to schedule a protest during class time. No sympathy here.

 

[LakeAriel]

Protesting is fine. I encourage it. However, when you disobey school officials and disrupt school, the punishment is NOT for being against the Iraq war. It's for being disorderly.

Now if punishments were not even, they might be based on prior history of problems. That I have no problem with. However, if it is just favoritism, then I do have a problem with it.

I agree with this but the article says they did obey the schools request. More will come out, I'm sure.

 

[Sir Ron]

[/B]


I agree with this but the article says they did obey the schools request. More will come out, I'm sure.

Well I was implying that the first thing they disobeyed was having the protest. Students know that if they are not in their classroom or where they are supposed to be it is considered "out of area". But I agree with what you meant.

 

[Sunny37]

[/B]


I agree with this but the article says they did obey the schools request. More will come out, I'm sure.

Yeah, but the reporters are only getting the parents' and students' side of the story...there will be no "news" if the school's administrators and teachers are in the right.

 

[LukenDC]

During the first Gulf War in 1991, a large group of students walked out of my high school during the middle of the day and held an anti-war rally in a city park. I supported the war, so I was not among them. The principal and police followed them, but did not interfere. The students were not punished and many people lauded them for their civic spirit.

Suspending protesting students is too harsh and expelling them is simply wrong. High schools strongly encourage civic engagement by students and the protesters were following that advice and doing something constructive.

 

[froglady]

I don't like taking away the student's right to protest, but they do also have to learn appropriate time and place for such protest.

The one thing that I REALLY don't like is that the punishment was not the same for all. If a school rule has be violated, it shouldn't matter what your grade point average is or whether you're a varsity athlete. You get the same punishment that every other student gets.

Was this rule something that the students should have known before hand?

If you read the whole article, it says that some teachers and coaches TALKED some of the students out of participating, so since they didn't participate, they were not punished. It also said that some teachers and administrators CALLED certain parents (such as the PTA President, who would have been well known to them) to come to the school and handle their children.

It also appears that after a while, the crowd dispersed, with only a few "die-hards" left, and they were the only ones who were punished.

BUT, according to the article, they were led to believe that they would not get more than a Saturday detention.

I have no problem with students protesting, but unless they do it after or before school hours, they should suffer the same consequences as someone cutting class. I do have a problem with the adminstration going back on their deal. (if that is really what happened)

 

[disneyfan67]

I think Frank Burns said it the best and summed it up nicely below.


Individuality is fine, so long as everybody's doing it together.
Frank Burns

.

 

[rie'smom]

If the kids knew ahead of time what the consequences would be, then fine. However, i think expulsion is over the line,unless they were violent. I can understand suspension for the disruption.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

If the students were disrupting school in any way, they should expect they'll be punished.

We only have the students/parents side of this story. We don't know if the administrators actually favored one group over another, or if it's merely that perception. The administration probably can't say "We suspended Johnny for longer than Joe because this is Johnny's third suspension" or some such thing.

The students should have protested on their own time, in a park or some other place. then it would have had no bearing on their academic records.

If the school did, in fact, favor one group of students over another, with no justifiable reason, then that's wrong. I remain unconvinced for now, though.

 

[nuke]

That's were I went to high school! It's changed quite a bit since I graduated a million years ago.

Anyways if they left class to protest they should be punished. I don't think being expelled is a proper punishment.