Sunday, May 08, 2005

Rear Echelon Mother @!'s Day

“Columbus, Georgia —
A high school student was suspended for 10 days for refusing to end a cell phone call with his mother. The ten day suspension was given to Kevin Francois for being ‘defiant and disorderly’ and was imposed in lieu of arrest according to Spencer High school's assistant Principal Alfred Parham.

The problem began Wednesday when the 17 year old junior got a lunchtime call from his mother, Sgt. 1st Class Monique Bates, serving a one year tour with the 203rd Forward support Battallion.

Cell phones are allowed on campus, but may not be used during school hours. When a teacher told him to hang up, he refused. He said he told the teacher ‘This is my mom in Iraq. I'm not about to hang up on my mom.’

The assistant Principal said the suspension was based on the teen's reaction to the teacher's request. He said the teen used profanity when taken to the office.”

I think what we have here is another example of zero intelligence, zero tolerance.

Given the situation in Iraq, any call from a loved one might be the last time you ever hear their voice. Refusing to take the circumstances into account is not only unreasonable, it's just plain mean and stupid. Of course the kid got “defiant and disorderly.” Under the same circumstances I guarantee I would have physically hurt someone.

What's really going on here is not a matter of discipline, but a matter of a teacher, a school administration showing who is boss.

The message is simply, “We don't have to be reasonable, we're in charge. No matter how much it hurts you, we're in charge. Yield to us, or else.”

Muscogee County School District:
Spencer High
4340 Victory Dr
Columbus, GA 31903
(706) 685-7652

http://www.mcsdga.net/schools/high/spencer.html

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