Posted on 10/28/2004 6:43:59 PM PDT by Sonar5
Too bad the school district you live in has such outrageous rules. I'd move to a more sensible school district.
No it's how we have let our schoold and the administrators get, where the hell do they get off lording over us. It's time to elect parents to schoold boards. We as parents have neglected our civic duty in our school districts and with elected officials in the local, state and federal government.
That's why our REPUBLIC, is being called a DEMOCRACY. This is why the pledge of Allegiance is being challenged. We bear a lot of the blame, the wild 60's and 70's and even the 80's and up to today. Of course by the 800's our school's were totally in their control, The socialist.
Now they are indoctrinating our children against our history, our country, and us their parents. It's the new world order that is being shoved down our throats!!
Remove your child and in few years, I estimate 2 if Kerry is elected, their will be no Bill of Rights and this country will not exist as we know it. We ahve to start taking it back !
God gave us the ability to Love and to Hate and the ability to know why we should have this feelings, in this country we can still express our feelings, but our children are being programmed.
Your son, like you made a sound judgement on what he has been taught, with Boy Scouts and by the good sound values you taught him at home. To him it was not a terrible thing, it was a tool, a tool that Boy Scouts see all the time and are taught how to properly use the tool. Little boys, having been one are little boys.
I'm sure they will say that he violated some unknown rule or something about this type of thing in school. That he endangered the rest of the class, by not telling the teacher. Frankly, I think that in this going to be blown out of proportion by the school.
The violation of your sons right's by being taken into that room and interrogated by the Administrator. Was he scared ? I would remove my child from school, go private or home school.You would otherwise have to seek legal advice. In case you didn't know they have over a 40 year head start, and we paid for it. Makes you feel like you just got a speeding ticket !!
I hope you realize that is what I meant. Mine did to as I did with my children. They got in trouble in school and at home. That does not mean I did not take on the school, I did. I was very glad when they were out. My son in 10th grade took a science teachers "unarmed" hand grenade to school. The teachers son was in on the examination of it during class. The teacher took it and put it in the drawer until class time was over and took it to the office where the office called the police, blah blah blah. They told them over and over again it was unarmed--to no avail. They questioned them, etc. It was a stupid thing for them to do but these boys were not known to be radicals and it was the science teacher's property. What a fiasco that was. So glad no more kids in school. You play a balancing act. Teachers do have it tough too, and I do mean that.
For what damage?
Did you miss this part? :...coerced into writing false statements stating they made bad choices by not telling an adult,..."
Sorry, deciding not to be a narc is NOT a bad choice, at least an enforcable one.
All I'm saying is, talk to the administrator in person. Chances are you'll find a flustered fellow with gray hair and two-three kids of his own who is just trying to make sure nothing heinous happens on his watch.
I'm with ya ;~D
my advice, for what it is worth, is to type up a polite note, with simply the facts concerning your son's version of the story, the fact he was in a room alone with a same gendered school official for questioning (this in and of itself is in the gray area as far as i am concerned), that you will talk to your son (or have), will not sign the original note and most importantly, to please get me involved when my son does something wrong in the future. do not threaten or appear mean spirited, be factual, leaving your emotions elsewhere like dr. spock.
send to the administrator, copy to his teacher, copy to the superintendant and copy to each member of the board of education.
if you really have the guts, send a copy to the local newspaper.
i am not a lawyer, but such a letter i wrote ended up getting a city employee canned -- he had lots of history and my letter was the last straw.
Intimidation by school officials is a scary thing to a child. I'm sure he will never feel the same way about school officials or the school. By hanging up on you they demonstrated they have no respect for parents as well. Liberal mindset, needless to say. Definitely, go to the Superintendent in person. Make sure they understand in no uncertain tone that being alone in a room with a child is definitely not a good thing to do. Advise them, that that will never happen again! Any incident in the future is to be handled thru you and you are to be contacted prior to your son being interviewed with 2 adults present plus you. Alert them you will be contacting an attorney and possibly DHS, if your son is affected emotionally by their mental abuse. Hopefully you are a member of Pre-paid legal, it won't cost you anything. Or maybe have a friend that is. Unfortunately, if a incident is drug related, children have no rights at school as the school officials are their legal guardians, during the school day... Scary isn't it! Good luck!
This is a tough one and I understand your concerns. School staff are over reacting to everything now-days IMO. I personally don't have a problem with responsible little girls and boys carrying pocket knifes but I also understand that rules may need to be drawn for safety. If a child brought a gun to school and no one said anything and someone was shot... That said, I think I would help my son add an addendum that he knows the difference between a threatening situation and just tattling and that since a teacher was notified he had no further responsibility and that he admits no guilt and is willing to miss recess on principle if necessary
Its even happening in private schools.
"I just don't see a big deal here."
I do, and for once in my life I will try and be succinct. It is the forced confession of wrong doing, under duress. That is the problem.
I think you have it wrong--the administrator was building a paper trail for the probable expulsion hearing of the boy who brought the knife. And this will most likely be put in an event file not in the cum record.
The police "interrogate" witnesses all the time who are not suspected of wrong doing.
As I said, if they had suspended the boy or charged him criminally with something I could see a reason to be upset. But that didn't happen.
When it's all said and done, he had to take home a note. That's it.
Are you telling me when you were a kid that no one was ever sent to the principal's office without a parent present?
A "false statement" would be along the lines of saying falsely that he had carried or possessed the pocket knife.
Having to write he made a "bad choice" seems like an apology.
Teachers unions have sometimes blatantly sought to manipulate what children are taught in order to inculcate pro-union attitudes. In the late 1970s the Miami affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers sent out a bulletin urging music teachers to I order music such as 'Solidarity Forever,' " English teachers to "incorporate short stories, novels, poems, and films depicting labor struggles and conflicts," and math teachers to "use labor and management as specific examples in problems." But, of course, the union members were objective in their class discussions.
Teachers unions blatantly exploit their power over school children. In Montgomery County, Maryland, union teachers refused to write letters of recommendations to colleges for students unless the students first wrote to the county council urging an increase in government spending for education (and, naturally, higher salaries for teachers). One high school senior told the Washington Post, "The consensus among students seems to be it may be blackmail, but students are going to go along with it anyway."
In California in 1991, teachers required students to write to state legislators demanding more money for education. The tactic backfired because numerous letters contained threats of physical violence against the legislators.
At Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., teachers gave parents a formal notice that they would not write letters of recommendation for students unless parents wrote three letters demanding higher pay for teachers: "Please submit to each teacher from whom your child is requesting a college recommendation your letters to your city council member, the superintendent and your school board member along with three addressed and stamped envelopes." Parents thus had to grovel in front of a teacher-to surrender their right to their own opinion on public education policy-in order for their children to receive consideration from the teachers
Thanks everyone so far.
Clarifications.
1) My son did not bring the knife
2) I was called after the incident, and after the recess when he had to sign the form.
3) Why should he be questioned at all besides did x have the knife. thank you, you cab return to class.
4) Where does this person get off threatening my son with punishment by not returning the form. I was already notified of what allegedly happened.
5) This is in California, anyone know the rules on a situation like this.
Since this was the asst. principal, I am considering going to the school tomorrow before it starts, asking to sit down with the principal and my son, and working this out.
I would like the person to apologize ot my son, and state she was wrong in forcing him to make a written statement saying he saw something, and not advising us to be apprised of this. She is not a Police officer, although I have since found out they were notified, as was child welfare.
To those of you suggesting let this pass, Thanks for the advice, but I don't want my son growing up thinking he has no rights.
He should not have been subjected to this, he did nothing wrong, the kid who brought the knife did wrong, not my son.
My fear is that this will happen to other kids, and I told my son it is important that other children are not subjected to this.
I feel she went over the line, and that it needs to be addressed. The main question is how.
I see some very good advice so far, and apppreciate it. To those that say sign it. I will not do that, because it sends the message that to coerce an innocent is ok. Again, there were no threats, and there were 3 other children also at the table who saw this and were not subjected to this treatment, although I am quite sure one out of the three is the one who notified an adult. And for that child, good for them if they felt that way.
Regards,
Sonar
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