Posted on 02/17/2014 2:41:12 PM PST by maggief
ROGERS, Minn. (KMSP) - The student body at Rogers High School has Reid Sagehorn's back.
"He's got the whole school behind him. We all believe this isn't right," junior Cole Murray said.
Sagehorn is a big man on campus. He's smart, good looking, captain of the football and basketball teams, a National Honor Society member with a 3.75 grade point average and plans to attend North Dakota State University in the fall. However, a certain Twitter conversation has banned him from school.
An anonymous tweet was posted suggesting Sagehorn may have made out with a young, attractive gym teacher at the school. Thinking nothing of it, he responded with a cynical, "Actually, yes" even though there was no relationship between the two.
A district parent noticed the exchange and reported it. Administrators weren't laughing and barred the 17-year old from school.
(Excerpt) Read more at myfoxtwincities.com ...
Petitioning ISD 728
Immediately restore the enrollment of Reid Sagehorn
Petition by
#freereid
This past week, Rogers High School senior Reid Sagehorn was suspended until April 22, 2014. This action was in response to a comment he made on Twitter in response to a rumor about him and a teacher. The rumor was not true, and originated from an anonymous Twitter account that accepted and posted anything that was sent its way. The submissions were handled through the social media site ask.fm, which allows anonymous interaction between two people. Because of this, the person who started the rumor is unknown.
Reid is a captain of Rogers’ football and basketball teams, and also plays baseball. This excessive punishment would prevent him from finishing his final basketball season and would also preclude him from playing baseball his senior year. In addition, Reid has been removed from National Honor Society and has been barred from stepping on school grounds or attending school-sponsored events. Reid will be unable to attend the state DECA conference and will miss out on countless other school-related activities.
Reid has already been suspended for 5 days. While it is true that Reid would be able to return to school after April 22nd, he would be forced to remain away from school for over two months. Because of this, the only reasonable response to this discipline would be for Reid to leave the district and enroll elsewhere. The ten-week punishment is, in effect, an expulsion. Meanwhile, the person (or people) responsible for starting and perpetuating the countless rumors on the Twitter account have not faced any discipline.
Rogers students have been quick to fight the expulsion of their leader and role model. A #freereid Twitter campaign has been circulating around the Northwest Metro, generating 1,437 tweets from 7:00 AM to midnight on the day of the expulsion. Students have also circulated flyers around the school with “#freereid” written on them. On Friday night, the boys’ basketball team hosted the Buffalo Bison in Senior Night. Senior Night is a tradition in which senior athletes and their parents are recognized for their dedication to the program, sport, and community. Because of Reid's suspension, he was not able to take part in the ceremonies or even attend. In protest, Rogers students wore black with Reid's number 3 written on the front of their shirts. Many of Reid's teammates wrote #freereid on their shoes, and the girls basketball team wrote #freereid on their shirts. The protest was peaceful and respectful, and spread awareness of Reid's situation.
It has been speculated that Reid is being made an example of because of upcoming negotiations with the Teachers Union. If this is indeed the case, administration should not base their decisions on labor negotiations when the fate of a student hangs in the balance. If it is not the case, it leaves one wondering what could lead Rogers and district administration to make such a grave mistake.
(snip)
The article collapses intellectually in the third paragraph.
It never recovers after that.
What 17 year old guy wouldn’t “admit” to making out with a hot teacher?
Also how does anyone know someone didn’t hack his tweeter account.
In public school you are guilty until proven innocent. Unless you are the right color.
The gym teacher?.................
Way to go Rogers...
he should used the hacked account defense like Weiner.
is it a man or woman?
if it’s a man, he can just say he was bullied and then Governor Goofy can push for a new law.
Odd that nothing In the story or the newscast mentions the teacher. Seems like she (he?) would come out and denounce the thing.
Well, the punishment certainly seems excessive.
At the same time, though, I can also imagine what it would be like if I were the gym teacher. Rumors always spread like wildfire in high school, and even though the kid was joking when he replied to the tweet, it could have started a real mess. Especially now that we see so many stories where teachers really are messing around with their students.
Still, 10 weeks seems absurd. Sit the kid down, make sure the air is cleared as far as any potential rumor, and maybe give him a Jethro Gibbs’ headsmack for good measure. Then, let him go back to school and finish out what appears to have been a generally excellent high school career.
Just MHO, of course.
“Actually, yes” got him suspended? Am I missing something?
I’m still coming to grips with the idea that you can be suspended for making a joke about making out with a teacher.
Used to be you’d just post an apology and serve detention, cleaning the teacher’s erasers and writing 100 times “I could never be so lucky as to get to kiss my teacher”.
It would be interesting to read the school disciplinary policy to see if it justifies this punishment. I find that schools in general don’t really follow their own absurd guidelines.
Looks like the superintendent will be responding, or not...
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23freereid&src=typd&f=realtime
Paul Blume @PaulBlume_FOX9 22m
District Superintendent speaks out on #FreeReid controversy at Rogers H.S. Calls whole ordeal emotional. Says police involved. @MyFOX9 5:30.
reminds me of this joke:
An elderly man walks into the confessional. “Bless me, father, for I have sinned,” he says.
“Yes,” says the priest. “Go on.”
“Well, I’m a happily married man,a grandfather in fact. And last week on a business trip I met two 20 year old girls in the hotel bar. They ended up coming back to my room and we spent a long, very passionate night together that left us all spent and satisfied.”
“That’s very bad,” says the Priest. “Tell me, when was the last time you took confession?”
“I’ve never taken confession,” says the man.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not Catholic,” says the man.
“Well then why are you telling me this story?”
“Are you kidding?” says the man. “I’m telling EVERYBODY!”
I remember in high school around 65 or 66, there was this beautiful art teacher, many bragged to have layed with her, even me, it was all lies, boasting is just what young guys do, not saying it was right, but it is what it is.
Suspending this young man from school for two months for joking about the gym teacher is absolute insanity!!! I hope the parents and the community fight this decision.
It’s serious.
17 in MN would make teach a sex offender.
When I was a freshman our college had a female gym instructor who had just graduated from Georgia. She was just about as hot as they get. I mean an absolute babe.
One day she asked me and another guy if we would spot her while she jumped on the trampoline. We were both athletes and the other guy was about as handsome as she was beautiful.
By the time she was finished both of our tongues were hanging out.
Thinking back, I probably could have made a big deal out of it but actually I think she really did just want someone to spot for her. Still I always wondered just a little.
No. She wanted to leave you two drooling and incoherent. Did it work?
Well that was nearly 60 years ago and I can still remember those tight white shorts she was wearing.
She married a hot shot Air Force pilot around a year later.
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