Anti-war student pulled from West Virginia high school

The Nando Times ^ | November 27, 2001 02:20 p.m. EST | The Associated Press

[X-USAF]

A high school student who was suspended last month for her anti-war, pro-anarchy stances has been removed from school by her mother because of alleged harassment from classmates.

Amy Sierra said her daughter, Katie, 15, has been attacked, threatened and insulted by students at Sissonville High School. The mother said it was her choice to withdraw Katie and enroll her in a program in which she will complete assignments on a computer from home.

"She was getting assaulted over and over again, and I got fed up," Amy Sierra said Monday. "I'm just so worried somebody's going to hurt her bad."

Katie, a ninth grader, was suspended for three days in October for defying school orders not to form an anarchy club or wear T-shirts that include slogans opposing the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan.

The school claimed the girl's actions disrupted student learning and a Kanawha County Circuit judge upheld the suspension.

The West Virginia Supreme Court on Tuesday voted 3-2 not to consider Katie Sierra's petition to prevent the lower court from "continuing to deny her freedom of speech."

The handwritten message on the T-shirt that got her in trouble read: "When I saw the dead and dying Afghani children on TV, I felt a newly recovered sense of national security. God Bless America."

Students spit on her mother's car at the high school. Her friends' parents wouldn't give her rides home from school. A boy wore a T-shirt signed by many Sissonville students that read: "Go back where you came from."

Katie Sierra, who was born in Panama, has attended 15 schools. She has lived in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and Kentucky.

[X-USAF]

Fifteen schools and six states and at such a tender age. I wonder if this has anything to do with her attitude?

[San Jacinto]

She is better off. The school is better off. Everybody's happy, or might as well be.

[San Jacinto]

Oh, and by the way, when they said "Go back where you came from", I hope she doesn't take that to mean Texas.

[Wissa]

I'd bet she learned that attitude from her parent(s). Sounds like the kid is determined to do what she can to cause trouble. Refuses to follow explicit orders not to wear disruptive clothing or try to start anti-American clubs. And ger mother's response isn't to tell the kid to shape up... it's to file a lawsuit.

[gfactor]

Refuses to follow explicit orders

oooh that must really scare people who give orders.

[monkey]

anarchy club

!!

[EggsAckley]

*Red Doper Diaper Baby Alert*

[irv]

form an anarchy club

Doesn't forming a club imply structure?

There's something wrong with this kid.

[jimfree]

In the spring of 1970 at Bassett HS in La Puente, California, I formed the Scottish-Irish Student Union (as a a joke) complete with a list of demands that the administration do such things as hire more teachers with Scottish and Irish surnames. Several of my teachers were among the petition signers. The vice principal was not terribly amused by my humor and was glad to see me leave his office after presenting the petition.

[VA Voter]

THe first amendment doesn't guarantee this 15 year old or an old anti-war professor that the speaker:

Will be taken seriously .
Will be listened to.
Will be imune from criticism.
Will not have any consequence to what is said.

[Rustynailww]

"Amy Sierra said her daughter, Katie,".......aka bravo Sierra

[SerpentDove]

form an anarchy club

Sort of like the old phrase "Anarchy Rules!"

Wha--???

[Aurelius]

Anarchists oppose government, not structure.

[AmishDude]

Caught that, did you?

[AmishDude]

Anarchists oppose government, not structure.

Actually, anarchists support (get this) anarchy.

But let's suppose for a sec that the word doesn't mean what it means. Do they elect a president? A treasurer?

[garycooper]

Are you sure you aren't mixing a little Libertarian in that paint?

[Texaggie79]

I love how many anarchists are peace-nicks as well. How exactly would they intend to survive in a governmentless world? Perhaps someone should buy them a copy of Mad Max.

[Texaggie79]

Libertarians oppose LARGE government. They still see legitimate needs for it.

[garycooper]

I think it's wrong for the kid to be abused.

[Aurelius]

Anarchy is, by definition, absence of any form of political authority. Political authority implies the use of force and violence to impose mandates. There is nothing contrary to anarchist principles in forming or belonging to structured social organizations of a voluntary nature.