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]

Great work sending it to the American Legion and elsewhere!!

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

I guess they showed that little eighth grader who's boss. Big, bad wussie school superintendent.

[Teacher317]

My post on the WRTV discussion page:

From the article: "I'm not sure what was gained from an educational value," Superintendent Mark Keen told RTV6's Vicki Duncan.
Apparently, Superintendent Keen sees no educational value in participating in a choir program. Can we expect him to close the district's musical programs?
Apparently Superintendent Keen sees no educational value in seeing the head of the Executive Branch give a speech about the state of affairs in the nation. Can we expect Mr. Keen to suspend any classes centered on current events or civics?
Apparently Superintendent Keen sees no educational value in oral presentations from authoritative figures. Can we expect him to suspend all convocations, presentations, and safety lectures?
Apparently Superintendent Keen sees no educational value coming from parents presenting their children with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Personally, I've never seen a President speak in person, and tried very hard to get a ticket to attend.
Apparently Superintendent Keen sees no educational value coming from parents teaching their children how to behave in a formal setting involving dignitaries.
Mr. Keen, just because you fail to recognize the educational value of the event, that does not mean it does not exist.

[hellinahandcart]

The child learned from that experience, that a mob of Bush despising mentally deficient, liberal fanatics of acadamia, will take out their venamous spite on anyone who respects the President, regardless of their age.

Yep, and that lesson is WELL WORTH an unexcused absence on her record, IMO.

[Timesink]

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

Someone in this county go down to the courthouse and pull Mr. Keen's voter registration. If he's a Republican, I'll believe him. If he's a RAT, he's a RAT.

[Calpernia]

That is a great letter! I made mine as short as possible in hopes the message would get through before he hit delete.

[Calpernia]

"The solution is to remove your child from the government school."

"Wrong. The solution is to remove government from the schools."

It isn't wrong at all to remove the children from a corrupt system. And it will set the stage for demolition of the dept of education and the privitization of education.
>>>>>>>

Ok you two! We are all on the same side and you are both right. Listen, of course we don't want our children in a corrupt system. That is what homeschooling and private schools are for. BUT, there is another problem that is being overlooked. Schooling children outside the corrupt system isn't solving a thing. All it does is raise our property tax to subsidize for the poverty level children. THEN, townships have been doing 'cute' accounting stunts of their own. They draw idiotic district maps to keep the dumbest of the dumb in one grammar school which qualifies them for some type of federal grant money and keeps the scores at the other schools higher for higher property tax money.

So, HOW do we fix this?

[mrfixit514]

You guys sound like liberals. Bend the rules. They are only for other people, not me and mine. If she was singing for X42,no one here would be wanting to bend the rules for her.

[maxwellp]

I just voted for Brianna and President Bush and the results against Keen are a little over 4,000! Goodbye Mr. Keen whatever you were.

[Budge]

Ping for later.

[mtbopfuyn]

Bet the jerk lets the football/basketball/baseball/golf/tennis/etc. teams off early to attend games and pep rallies, and turns a blind eye to coaches who never release their classes in time to make the bell for History class. Heck, today one of our campuses took a chartered bus load for an overnight at at zoo and another campus took a load to an amusement park, while last week another group went to another amusement park, and others went on an overnight camping trip - ALL were excused w/out absences. BTW, both amusement park trips were for 8th graders. Our school district closes for the first day of hunting season, the stock show, and will try to call a weather day for marching competition.

[maxwellp]

I grew up in Manhattan - upper West Side. When I was about six or seven I went with my father to Broadway & 86th Street to pick up the evening paper. There was an enormous rally going on to save the Rosenbergs who were going to be executed. Some man approached my Dad and gave him some literature. My father punched him in the face. This event encouraged me to read all I could about the Rosenbergs when I was older.

A few years later I went with my father to the Memorial Day Parade on Fifth Avenue. The parade was led by three men who, to my young eyes looked like three very, very old guys in very raggedy uniforms. The parade was slow going and these three were followed by the West Point cadets. When they were in front of us my father and all the men close to us came to attention and saluted. I asked my Dad who they were and he said "They are the only living veterans of the Civil War". To this day I still read about the Civil War. Brianna was fortunate to attend this event. She will remember it and probably learn from it in some way, particularly regarding what happened to her.

[ladylib]

You assume too much. How do you know how people feel?

This principal should have used a little judgment and made an exception. At least, he should have had the intelligence to know how his decision would be received by the general public. Let's just say he didn't do himself or his career any favors.

If this girl had an opportunity to sing for Clintoon, that's great too.

[Domestic Church]

Privatize education and respect the parental primacy in education, that's how this is solved on the big picture. Of course outlawing the democratic party might work too;)

On the small scale, the little guy assists by pulling the kids out. In my district, by yanking my kids out I keep them from getting/churning over $21000 a year...taxpayers money not accessable to the school district, and my property taxes (among the lowest in the state) have not gone up one bit yet (but my area is republican and has the most homeschoolers in my state.)

In order to weaken the power of the educational machinery you have to go for the NEA/DNC jugular as the IRS and Landmark Legal are, and you have to use whatever grass roots methods you can including harping on every single episode like this 8th grader getting penalized for the politics in education. Here's a start:

http://www.SepSchool.org/

[Noumenon]

My wife's comment was that this Keen is one sick, twisted bastard. Taking out his hatred of Bush on an eigth grede girl. Disgusting. Typical hate-filled liberal fool - too cowardly to pick on someone his own size unless he's backed by a bunch of uniforms, badges and guns.

Thsi creep's got a lot to answer for.

[Domestic Church]

"If she was singing for X42,no one here would be wanting to bend the rules for her."

Baloney. This was a civics field trip no matter who was the President. This field trip/event was far superior to any of the regular field trips she will have.

[ladylib]

That's one way to look at it. She'll realize she is part of history and the negative influence of the laughable, wussy anal-retentive principal and superintendent won't be important to her in the least. She'll have something to tell her kids and grandchildren.

"Just Blow Off Negative Anal-Retentive Public School Adminstrators and Their Schools!" How's that for a bumper sticker?

[madison10]

The word "learner" is learned when writing program objectives. Doesn't mean "he," "she," or isn't PC. That's just how it's taught in methods classes...even twenty years ago before everything turned PC and Superintendents majored in "Ass 101."

[Diddle E. Squat]

You guys sound like liberals. Bend the rules. They are only for other people, not me and mine. If she was singing for X42,no one here would be wanting to bend the rules for her.

So I take it you supported the decision by those men in an Islamic country that beat the girls who fled a dormitory fire inappropriately dressed? Bend the rules and all that.

[ladylib]

Sometimes you have to bend the rules and use a little judgment, right?