Student Suspended for Call to Mom in Iraq

Newsday ^ | 05/06/05 | AP

[applpie]

DEAD in case you didn't read the article, which it appears you didn't. You obviously base your opinion of his behavior on your own history as opposed to even the facts that were stated in this article. Any kid could easily become defiant and their version of "disorderly" if a situation like this is mishandled (which we have seen plenty of evidence of lately).

I cried for this kid. He is 17 years old, living with strangers, dead dad, mom could be dead except for the grace of God on a daily basis, this is an important and stressful year for kids anyway, and the signs of stress (his dropping grades) are obvious. He talks to mom ONCE a month and these ridiculous bureacrats place their "regulations" over the emotional welfare of a struggling kid. So much so, that they are willing to risk his ability to graduate or even get into college by punishing him for 10 days! Give me a break. This is another sign of what is wrong with the school systems.

They should have PROACTIVELY provided support to this young man and others kids like him.

[applpie]

what a dumb thing to say.....especially when you have no basis for it. do your children "really" know who their father is?

[applpie]

I AM WITH YOU! Just walk into any federal, state, or City government office or university and tell me who is running it (and many of the school systems). Low level government mostly-minority bureaucrats (including clerks and security guards) who are creating the processes which we and our children have to follow in order to get our driver's license, pay our taxes, graduate, fly, file papers, receive financial aid or admittance, and more. It worries me to death because alot of the processes don't make sense and the quality of their work is often questionable. It is simply another means of entitlement and yet they have ultimate control.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

"If your kid has a bad accident at home and has a life threatening injury do you obey the speedlimit on the way to hospital?"

No. And if a cop trys to pull me over while I'm doing it, do I simply flip him the bird and continue on my way?

[Mrs.Nooseman]

I like the way you think and agree with you!

[Responsibility1st]

DEAD???????????????
I have taken a lot of heat for my comments questioning the whereabouts of the boys father. I had no business going off on that tangent, except to say that many fatherless boys act stupid as Kevin did.

You assume I didn't read the article. Let me ask you, and all other who have told me off: Where in the NEWSDAY article does it say the dad was dead?????

I know the other post from The Columbus Ohio Ledger mentions that, but Newsday does not

[Oztrich Boy]

Oops! I meant how to "contact" not contract

Your original may have been only slightly harsh

[Oztrich Boy]

Kids who aren't imbued with the quality of respect generally turn into foul-mouthed, pie-throwing leftists.

Concentration Camp guards instead?

I'm thinking teackers (OK a distiction without a difference)

[Oztrich Boy]

some people don't get sarcasm

[Oztrich Boy]

Just when I think the New FR can't get any lower.

[Oztrich Boy]

I must say I am amazed at the posters who agreed that the kid - and no doubt he acted badly - acted appropriately under the circumstances.

Been here long?

[Little_shoe]

My father is a teacher in a public high school, after retiring from the Marines with 24 years service. Students know and respect him because he is firm but fair. If he had been the teacher involved, this whole fiasco wouldnt have happened. He would have personally made the next periods teacher know that this student needed that time.

[Oztrich Boy]

She’s an absent-minded beggar, but she heard her country call,
And her reg’ment didn’t need to send to find her!
She chucked her job and joined it—so the job before us all
Is to help the home that Tammy’s left behind her!
(Apologies to Rudyard)

[Responsibility1st]

Been here long?
____________________________________________________________________________________

Nope. Since April. And I thought I WAS a neo-con right wing reactionary.........

Some of these Freepers - who seemingly support violence in the schools - well..........

[El Gato]

Now, I can't tell whether this particular young man has someone acting as his guardian or not while his mother is serving in Iraq, but it might have been a good idea for that person to have made some special arrangement with the school so that whenever the young man's mother called, he could take the call.

This is a school with large numbers of children whose parents are in the Army, its near Ft. Benning. The school's policies should adapt to that fact, rather than requiring a separate exception for each kid.

The high school nearest my house, which I could see from my driveway before they build the houses accross the street, has over 1000 silver stars on their walls, one for each parent of a student serving in the military. They also have 3 gold stars. Think about the possibility of a gold star to being hung in the window of the kids house.

BTW, my wife is a teacher of teachers (and they chair of her department), she's incensed at this incident. Between the grumbling and "bad attitude", she said something about teachers supposed be treating students with respect, and thus earning respect for themselves.

[freedumb2003]

IIRC "in loco parentis" is still fully in force. That would make the so-called "assault" on the same level if a prent had yanked a cell phone out of his/her kid's hand.

[Oztrich Boy]

I wonder how the Army would have reacted if his mother had been told by her OIC or first sergeant to hang up the phone, and responded in the same way her son had.

I don't think she has a first sergeant

[El Gato]

This rebellious thug should drop out of HS, get a GED and join the unemployment line. LOl!

Well, my sister in law has a GED, went to school and got an associates degree. She makes more money than I do, and I've got a master's in engineering. She makes more than my wife as well, and my wife has a PhD.

[El Gato]

The school has been in touch with personnel from Ft. Benning.

Why do I suspect, and hope, it wasn't the school that made the contact?

I hope the Command Sergeant Major, or the senior non-deployed enlisted soldier, ripped a strip off the principal's hide. Maybe tag team with the senior non-deployed officer.