HELP
http://www.bootmurtha.com/
Posted on 09/07/2006 2:10:40 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
ONTARIO - The family of a boy who committed suicide after an immigration rally earlier this year is asking a federal judge to bar the school district from disciplining students who miss class to attend such protests. The family has said Anthony Soltero, 14, killed himself because he was threatened with harsh discipline for skipping class to attend a rally. He died April 1.
"Anthony was learning about the importance of civic duties and rights in his eighth-grade class," said Louise Corales, the boy's mother. "We have to let the schools know that they can't punish our children for exercising their rights."
Corales filed a federal lawsuit against the Ontario-Montclair School District, alleging the boy's civil rights were violated and negligence led to his death. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
It also names as defendants the principal and vice principal of De Anza Middle School. The family says Vice Principal Gene Bennett threatened Anthony with juvenile hall for skipping class.
Many at pro-immigrant rallies have called the boy a martyr who died for the cause, but a fellow student who was with Anthony the day of the protest said they only attended the event briefly before they were scared off by the heavy police presence.
A call to the school district's attorney seeking comment was not returned.
District Superintendent Sharon McGehee previously said the boy was not threatened with incarceration, and district officials did not believe he participated in the immigration protests.
The family also asked for an injunction prohibiting the district from punishing students for missing class to attend protests or rallies, alleging that doing so violates students' First Amendment rights.
Hundreds of students from several Inland Valley school districts were cited by police for skipping class without permission during the rallies, including dozens from Ontario-Montclair.
For several days in March, thousands of students in schools around Southern California walked out of class as part of a planned mass rally to protest HR 4437, a U.S. House bill that would create harsh punishments for illegal immigrants, including making undocumented presence in the country a felony.
The bill passed the House in December, but the version approved this year by the Senate left out many of the more restrictive provisions. It also included a plan to allow many illegal immigrants to avoid deportation and eventually gain legal status.
Neither version has become law. The two houses of Congress have yet to convene a conference committee to hammer out final legislation, and analysts say it is unlikely a compromise will be reached this year.
This article needs a "Duct Tape Alert"...
Just another Cindi Sheehan type exploitation of a tragic death. Figures that they're from Canada....land of 70%+ belief that America was at fault for the Twin Towers attack.
Idiots!
Militant
Lawyers chasing the school bus
instead of the ambulance.
It's the Ontario in Southern California...
This isn't Canada. Ontario-Montclaire is about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
A boy skipped school to protest at a pro-illegal immigration rally.Did I miss something?He gets punished.
He kills himslef and so the parents sue the school.
That's about the size of it.
It looks like he was never actually punished. The Vice Principal just threatened to punish him.
Whoops....maybe I should read a little more carefully....
Southern California?? Same-same!!!
Militant
Yes, you missed telling us where to get a real good price on lots and lots of ductape....
Shouldn't the rally-organizers be sued as well? Crappy lawyer. [har]
With a family like this do we really have to ask why this kid had problems? Let's see detention vs. suicide. Hmmmm.
I keep thinking that these sue-happy idiots and their lawyers will be the end of this country, but at least in this story I have the satisfaction that at least these idiots genes won't be passed on.
A boy skipped school to protest at a pro-illegal immigration rally.Did I miss something?He gets
punished.Almost punishedHe kills himslef and so the parents sue the school.
I did miss something else. It's Bush's Fault.
Yes. The first two parts where
a) irresponsible parents neglect to teach their child an education is more important than a protest, and
b) parent fail to point out it is not wise for illegal persons to protest for rights that are not legitimately theirs.
Interesting to note article says nothing about the Soltero family's legal status!?
Yes. The third part is
c) "illegal" parents wanting to hit the judicial lottery with a school bus chasing scumbag lawyer. Given it is in CA, there is a 99.97% probability that they will hit it :-(.
Eighth grader Anthony Soltero shot himself through the head on Thursday, March 30, after the assistant principal at De Anza Middle School told him that he was going to prison for three years because of his involvement as an organizer of the March 28 school walk-outs to protest the anti-immigrant legislation in Washington. The vice principal also forbade Anthony from attending graduation activities and threatened to fine his mother for Anthony’s truancy and participation in the student protests.
Here's the school's side:
The school district said four students left school March 28. Superintendent Sharon McGehee has said that interviews with students and faculty members show the boy and the other students never marched with protesters. She said the students went to a store, then returned to the school for lunch.
Two days later, the vice principal told Anthony and three other students that for their truancy they could choose whether to miss a field trip or year-end dance, McGehee said.
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