Eighth grader penalized for missing school, singing at Bush Event

WRTV ^ | 05/16/2003 | www.wrtv.com

[IAmNotAnAnimal]

This is my first post, bear with me. ...a student's absence can be excused for an illness, a family death, or an educational experience...Singing in a choir for the president of the United States, as Westfield Middle School eight grager, Brianna Tull, learned, dosen't count...was told she couldn't earn crdit for homewrok, tests and quizzes given that day

[GOPrincess]

Thank you!!! We hope to visit Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown along with DC sights...I'm so excited! My favorite books (a series of historical novesl by Elswyth Thane) are set in VA.

My husband wants to know if Fox News gives studio tours. Don't I wish!! :) :)

[Calpernia]

DONE! Short, sweet, to the point: "If you cannot see the educational value in a child participating in a Presidential Event:
you should NOT be in an educational field."

[GOPrincess]

"By now, it has hit Drudge, and people have sent it to Hannity and O'Reilly!"

Love that it made Drudge. Between him and F.R., tons of people are going to see this.

As mentioned above, I emailed it to Hugh Hewitt... Keep it going, folks! :)

[Freebird Forever]

I'm not sure what bumps and pings are

Welcome Aboard!!!

I see someone has already provided the definitions for you. Here's a link to more Freeper slang.

Lexicon of FreeRepublic

[Eva]

The parents will learn, as I did to just call the school and tell them that their daughter is sick. I had to do this often when my oldest daughter was competing in US Swimming. The attendance lady got so mad at me that she once called me at 5 AM Sunday morning to verify my daughter's absence on a Friday.

[LibWhacker]

"I'm not sure what was gained from an educational value," Superintendent Mark Keen told RTV6's Vicki Duncan.

BS. I know a socialist scumbag when I hear one. Ten to one this p***k would be trying to get the kid an honorary PhD if it had been Klintoon.

[m1-lightning]

May I add, if you have enough time, to visit the Hampton Roads area.

Been there, done that, loved it, and I have to say, while I wanted to see more of Williamsburg/Yorktown, I couldn't keep my wife out of the MacArthur Center Mall. We plan to move back there some day.

[ladylib]

This guy sounds like a total idiot.

I guess "Heather Has Two Mommies" is more important.

[Temple Owl]

"I'm not sure what was gained from an educational value," Superintendent Mark Keen told RTV6's Vicki Duncan.

"We're in school for 180 days to provide an education," Keen said. "Going to see the president is certainly an experience, but what did the child learn from that?"

She learned that radical left-wing members of the teachers' union are mean-spirited and cannot be trusted. That lesson will last for the rest of her life.

[Zavien Doombringer]

MacArthur Center Mall

Man, that place is the bane of all wallets! Particulary Nordstrom's!

[RussRoberts]

If her choir makes many national and international appearances, you can bet that either she or other students from her school have had absences approved in the past. This will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for his decision to stand.

If it had been my child, as soon as I was told that the absence was unapproved, I would have sat down with the superintendent, and "politely" demanded a complete list of every absence that had been approved for any student in the previous two years. I further would have made it clear that if any approved absence in the past came close to being political in nature, then I would move mountains to have the idiot reprimanded at the very least.

[Sicon]

Something tells me that if she had missed school to protest the war in Iraq, everything would have been just hunky-dorey with the superintendent.

[Political Junkie Too]

From some "Bill Clinton" bio webpage, we have the following:

In 1963 he was a Hot Springs High School delegate to Boys State, where he was elected as Arkansas' delegate to Boys Nation. While attending Boys Nation in Washington, D.C., Mr. Clinton had an experience that set him on the road to political greatness: He shook hands with President John F. Kennedy. A photograph of that meeting, only four months before President Kennedy was assassinated, is one of President Clinton's proudest possessions.

So, let me see if I have this right: when young Bill Clinton met the president, it was "an experience that set him on the road" for life, but when this child sings for the president it is not an educational experience.

-PJ

[RetiredArmy]

Guy looks like the jackass he is. A liberal, leftist, communist, demwit voter. If Klinton had been there instead, I am sure they would have dismissed all schools to see him play with himself on stage.

[Reagan is King]

Good find and welcome!

This guy is in for a LOT of grief. He better just take his lumps from his liberal buddies and reverse this decision before he gets bombarded nationwide. We need to clean out the education system in this country from top to bottom, especially the administrators.

[jmc813]

Unbelievable. The superintendent must believe that students can only learn when sitting within the confines of the school building.

You'd be surprised how pervasive that attitude is amongst public schools. Years ago, my parents were involved in the high school Chorale that my sister sang in. They were planning a trip to perform in England (which would have been 50 times more educational than sitting in any classroom). The Board of Ed gave them so many problems about missing more than 3 days of school, that they were forced to schedule it during Spring Break week and screw up many families' existing vacation plans.

[sourcery]

I pity Mr. Keen. He has no idea what's about to be hitting him with full force and fury.

[Jamten]

They don't even speak Spanish in Brazil.
This decision must be based on the colour of their skin.
Typical liberal decisions.

[Not Insane]

--They don't even speak Spanish in Brazil.--

Heh, heh - precicely!

[jackbill]

Here's the link to the district's Eighth Grade Social Studies Curriculum:

Did you notice the use of the word "learner"? As in: The learner will be able to . . . .

What is that? PC-speak for student?

Actually "learner" is grossly incorrect since most of them probably don't learn.