Posted on 09/27/2005 4:33:37 AM PDT by billorites
FARGO - A ninth-grader here has been banned from his school's assemblies after asking a sensitive question to a U.S. Army pilot.
Phil Sannes also had to apologize to speaker Michael Durant after he asked the "Black Hawk Down" helicopter pilot on Thursday whether he had been raped during his capture by hostile forces in Somalia.
"He asked a fair, hard-balled question," said Phil's dad, Jon Sannes. "I don't know why he's being punished."
"I felt the question posed was inappropriate at that time and that place," said Peggy Stibbe, assistant principal.
In 1993, Durant flew a Blackhawk in Mogadishu, Somalia. The Army pilot was shot down and captured for 11 days. His story inspired the movie, "Black Hawk Down."
He spoke to more than 500 eighth- and ninth-grade students at the Fargo middle school.
The pilot talked about being shot down and captured, but told students there were details he didn't want to share, Stibbe said.
"He knew for a ninth-grade group he could only take it so far," she said.
At the end of the presentation, Durant opened the floor to student questions. That's when Phil Sannes asked his.
"I just wanted to know," the ninth-grader said. "It was a serious question."
Durant said it was a good question, but he wouldn't answer it.
Jon Sannes said forcing his son to apologize and to miss future assemblies violates his son's right to free speech. A school is supposed to encourage students to think and ask questions, he said.
Jon Sannes said he and his son talk about world news events at home.
"You hear about people being beheaded and tortured during war," he said. "My son just had a question about that."
Stibbe said the school usually schedules only one assembly a year.
How old is the boy? Shouldn't he know that a question, referencing the possible rape of the guest speaker was out of place in a public forum?
Just my thoughts, maybe this kid is just a smarta$$ and goes that extra mile with erudite behavior constantly and this time both the school and its guest were embarassed by his behavior. There are teenagers who say/do things just for the shock value and attention that they draw. I would hazard to guess that this boy falls into that more so than a serious inquiry of prisoner of war status in Somalia. Just my two cents...
The soldier was absolutely right in his answer, whether it happened or not. To answer, even in the negative, would have honored the question.
It was a bit uncouth, but nothing to be punished for.
I agree. Seems a bit tasteless but at the end of the day, if the kid wants to know- what's he supposed to do and who else can he ask? I can't see punishing the kid for asking.
Ask on the side or write a letter. One doesn't blindside people in a public forum. Better to learn some tact now then while on the job.
"The kid asked the question and Durant declined to answer. The truth came out and the assistant principal decided to punish the kid for exposing the truth about muslims"
The question about Muslims or Durant's experience?
I have raised three sons and have been around lots of of kids. I am almost positive he asked that question because he thought it would funny to his like minded peers. If one of my boys had asked a question like that, I would have not been a very supportive parent.
"The fascination of some people with the intensely personal and private is indicative of our loss of manners and respect for others."
Absolutely.
And as you had mentioned, there is this morbid curiosity of those who have no military or combat experience. Most are not malicious when asking the question; just incredibly stupid and rude.
"Boxers or briefs?" would have been bad enough. His question was totally out of line.
The answer to "Were you mistreated?" or "Were you treated decently as a prisoner of war?" would have given the student all he needed to know.
Ya know, I just realized it was MS and not HS. Changes things a bit but should he be punished for asking?
If he was indeed raped, then a follow up question as to the number of times, how many different men raped him, whether he was forced to perform oral sex, how many times, and other details would also have been tastless, but hey, if the kid wants to know.
I agree. If any of my sons pulled a stunt like this (and look at my previous post...I think this is all about being a smarta$$ and impressing his fellow 9th graders) I would discipline my son. Not search out the Associated Press.
When you open the floor to questions you leave yourself open.
By the ninth grade he's been listening/watching 14 years of tens of thousands of homosexual experiences a year on TV.
Yes, and when an inappropriate question is asked, you discipline the offender and the rest of the student body 'learns' by the example.
I have a friend who's a combat veteran. He came to see my Cub Scouts to share about his adventures in the middle east. While he held their absolute attention for 2 hours, amazingly not one of them asked the "how many have you killed" question.
I don't consider having to apologize to Durant a punishment. That's an exercise in learning manners, which this child sorely needs.
As far as not being allowed to attend future school assemblies...I'm not decided on that. Allowing him to attend future assemblies would provide him with an opportunity to exercise the manners that one would hope he has learned. However, the child likely also needs to learn that with actions, come consequences...and that if he wants to be treated like a grown-up and ask grown-up questions, then he has to be able to accept grown-up consequences.
I have a 14 year old son. He should know better, but the thing in his head that makes you act as you know you should has not matured in him. Or most of his friends.
The speaker answered appropriately. Kid was inappropriate, but immature. He needed a talking to, not necessarily a banishment from assembly.
BTW, my son's summer reading book before starting HS was a book called Speak about a girl who was raped at a party just before she started freshman year in hs. No one knows she was raped at the party and she is ostracized for having called the police who broke up the party. The climax of the book is when she finally tells what happened to her after almost a year holding it in. Wonder if they had the same reading list?
Just my thoughts, maybe this kid is just a smarta$$ and goes that extra mile with erudite behavior constantly and this time both the school and its guest were embarassed by his behavior. There are teenagers who say/do things just for the shock value and attention that they draw.
Not surprising...most children who enter Cub Scouts are raised in families that value decency and appropriate behavior.
Parents like this, who turn their kids imaginary "rights" into media events, should be beaten with bicycle chains.
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