Student Suspended for Call to Mom in Iraq

Newsday ^ | 05/06/05 | AP

[Responsibility1st]

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- A high school student was suspended for 10 days for refusing to end a mobile 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. Mobile 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."

[fatnotlazy]

Just what is proper decorum when your Mom calls you from Iraq which she's only able to do so once a month? How should the child have acted when the teacher told him to terminate the conversation especially as the child was on his lunch period.

***

There is some dispute over whether he actually did tell the teacher he was talking to his mother who was serving in Iraq. And as stated previously, I still think he or his guardian could have made some arrangement with the school whereby he would have been able to talk to his mother anytime she called.

How should he have acted? Well, with respect for the teacher...certainly, the situation wasn't helped by his profanity.

[beeler]

I don't care when this incident happened. He was told to get off the phone and he proceeded to mouth off to a teacher, rather than rationally explain what was going on. After that, he cussed out the principal. He deserves his punishment.

[beeler]

So anyone who insists that children obey their elders are communists? You're terribly confused.

[baseballmom]

Thanks for the added info.

I'm on the boy's side - he should have been allowed to continue his phone call with his Mom.

I can't even believe this is an issue.

Kevin admits he should have handeled it better, but for heavan's sake, he's a KID!! The administration should have handled it much better.

The school is in Columbus, Ga, home of Ft. Benning. I can't believe this issue hadn't been anticipated in the school before this, considering the huge military presence there.

[Bella_Bru]

Communists and fascists blindly follow and obey any authority, no matter how dangerous or incorrect that authority is. And you obviously will blindly follow anyone who can even say they have a bit of authority over you.

You'd have been a real downer during the American Revolution, aklways running to the King and telling the true patriots that they ought not challenge the 'authority' of the crown.

[beeler]

Again, you are drawing faulty comparisons that hardly make any sense at all. Are you really comparing King George, Hitler, and Stalin to public high school teachers and administration? Do you realize how silly you sound? Oh, I get it. You're joking. You really had me going there.

[Bella_Bru]

No, I'm not joking at all. Authority is given by the people and can be revoked at any time when those in authority begin to misuse it. And these school administrators obviously are a bit too high on their "authority".

So tell us, what should the boy have done? "Sorry mom, can't talk to you even though every call could be the last, my masters have rules."?

[af_vet_1981]

I'm sure she has something she answers to. Though if her son's attitude is any indication of the type of upbringing she provided, I'd say it won't be long before someone named "warden" is the authority figure in both their lives.

That's it.

Bash the families willing to serve in an otherwise unpopular war, especially while a parent is overseas.

[beeler]

When told to get off the phone, this kid should have calmly explained to the teacher who he was talking to and what exactly was going on. Rather, he snorted, "I'm not about to hang up on my mom." How was the teacher supposed to know if he was really talking to his mother and what her situation was? This kid obviously has a bad attitude and if he'd handled the situation properly, there would be no issue at all. In any event, the student should have obeyed the teacher's request and explained himself later. If he had done that, the principal would most likely been on his side in a dispute with this particular teacher. Even though you're not joking about comparing the school administration to the Third Reich, it is still very funny how easily you can bring these wild comparisons into the debate. FR never ceases to entertain.

[Bella_Bru]

If you think I'm entertaining, please make a point to check out some of the Every Sperm is Sacred threads. Now that's entertainment.

[Hildy]

Maybe you should try actually reading the article:

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.

That sounds pretty rational to me. He used profanity only when his Mother called back and they refused to let him answer the phone. I'd use profanity too.

The bottom line is he acted rationally to teachers who were acting irrationally. If my mother or father called me from war and this might be the last time I ever spoke to them, there's be nothing that would keep me from talking to them. I commend this boy. Ironically enough, if the boy refused to listen to a lecture about gay rights, although his teachers ordered him too, you'd all be taking up a collection to help him. You know I'm right.

[beeler]

I did read the article and it is clear that this boy mouthed off to and disrespected a teacher. He was told to get off the phone and essentially said, "I'm not about to." Regardless of the details, you simply do not do this. Even though the details that proceeded the refusal were important and should have been considered, once the teacher hears what equates to "screw you, I'm going to do whatever I want" all bets are off after that.

If the boy refused to listen to a lecture about gay rights, although his teachers ordered him too, you'd all be taking up a collection to help him.

...only if the teacher's actions violated an established desire by the parents to not have their child attend such an event.

You characterize a teenager's cussing out of adult authority figures who are charged with maintaining order in a public high school as rational. That is a horrible characterization. If I cussed out all of the people who have authority over me who should be cussed out, I would be both jobless and homeless. Sometimes you have to suck it up and deal, until you can rationally convince your superiors that you are indeed right. This is a valuable less that a young person should learn at a young age.

[Hildy]

And there are sometimes adults need to stop hiding behind rules and display some common sense.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Bash the families willing to serve in an otherwise unpopular war, especially while a parent is overseas.

If everybody who has ever gone to war turned out to be the paragons of perfection that some like to paint them as, we'd have no social problems in the world.

For me, serving in the military means you get a measure of respect commensurate with the fact of serving in the military ... not a free pass on any pathology you might be suffering from.

[af_vet_1981]

If everybody who has ever gone to war turned out to be the paragons of perfection that some like to paint them as, we'd have no social problems in the world. For me, serving in the military means you get a measure of respect commensurate with the fact of serving in the military ... not a free pass on any pathology you might be suffering from.

Enemies on the left and right, always ready to inflict casualties on our military

[BykrBayb]

I have tried calling the school and they don't answer their telephone.

Don't tell me, you called during school hours, right? They can't answer the phone during school hours.

[BykrBayb]

"Some will just call the school if they want to talk to their sons or daughters. We'll gladly get the kid out of class" adding fifteen minutes to the overseas call.

[BykrBayb]

But has anyone asked what kind of "mother" would leave her child parentless to go to war?

According to the article, his Mom is an E7, serving her country, protecting your sorry ass, and calling her son once a month. She scheduled this call during his lunch hour, to avoid causing any problems. When the call was disconnected with no explanation, she called right back. That's what kind of Mom she is. What kind of "mother" raised you? Or did she?