What in the heck is wrong with the people that run our public schools?

I mean I know the public schools are all screwed up, but come on.

High School student in Cincinnati denied diploma because family, friends, teachers and other students cheered as he walked across stage. School says he must do 20 hours of community service before he can get diploma.

A mother in South Carolina was arrested moments after she cheered for her daughter as she walked across the stage to accept her diploma. Shannon Cooper was handcuffed at the South Florence High School graduation ceremony and charged with disorderly conduct.

Seniors at St. Charles High School had to take a breathalyzer test at their graduation rehearsal on Friday. Parent Jim Welp says he was shocked when his son Alec called Friday morning to tell him he’d be given a breathalyzer test at school

 

The people who run our schools now were babies in the 1960s and they grew up with certain notions about equality. For them, the only way to see that everyone gets equal amounts of cheering is to see to it that no-one gets any cheering at all.

 

I would agree that the first two are rather ridiculous, but the third I have no problem with whatsoever. Teens have a tendecy to push it when it comes to drinking. We have kids who come drunk to prom. In my opinion, THAT would be the place to have the breathalyzer.

-Matt

 

When I saw this thread title I thought you would be referring to Nancy Sebring

Nancy Sebring resigns as Iowa schools chief after sexually explicit emails | ksdk.com

 

I think the first two are a bit over the top, however at my daughters graduation some of the cheering got so out of control that the next person in line had their name drowned out when called. It's ridiculous to arrest folks or deny a graduate a diploma, but I do understand the need to be respectful of others....not everyone does. Imagine how much it would suck to have your family and friends there to support you, but have them miss your moment because the audience is being disrespectful.

I bet there is more to the second story too...

 

You could very well be right. There might be more to the stories than we're getting right now.

Looks like a document was signed agreeing to the rules in the first one.

We certainly don't want to have a rush to judgment like in another thread now, do we?

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/mt-healthy-schools-students-family-should-do-the-right-thing

 

Shannon Cooper, South Florence High School SC | Breaking News for Black America

 

I couldn't agree with Steve more. I'd be beside myself if my kid were illegally searched or detained or otherwise forced to submit to a breath test without at least reasonable suspicion. It's not like this is voluntary drug testing for sports, this was carte blanc. Your rights do not end at the school house doors, nor do they end at the airport, yet as Steve pointed out, our court system has done a miserable job defending them.

 

The kid cannot control his family regardless if the parents signed some document saying they would behave. Why hold his diploma hostage for something he didn't do?

I could see them stopping graduation and asking the offenders to leave or escort them out. That might set the tone for the rest of the graduation.

 

I've worked my fair share of details at HS graduations and proms, and in the last 10 years it's become SOP to breath-test all attendees at proms. No one is "forced" to do anything....if you don't want to submit to the PBT (Portable Breath Test), then you're free to walk away, with the proviso that if you exhibit signs of intoxication, you're likely to get a free overnight stay at the police station.

Every student is given an information sheet about the prom, including the mandatory PBT and that all bags will be searched before entry. If anyone finds that objectionable, they're free to not go. As I said, no one is forced to do anything.

Example....I recently had to travel by air for a mandatory school residency, and I had to remove my shoes, submit to a physical search, and go through a metal detector before I could board the airplane. Wasn't that also a 4thAMD violation? No, because I was free to walk away without doing any of it. The same goes for HS proms....unless these schools are kidnapping their students and forcing them to take the PBT, there is no civil rights violation.

 

Some students are more popular than others and get more applause. Thats life. Thats how it is. If a student made a name for himself and befriended a lot of people, why can't that student get a round of applause when he is awarded his diploma? We are not all equal. Some do better, get paid more, get more applause, have more friends, have more money etc. Equality is a ridiculous goal.

 

Actually Bruce, IMHO the TSA is more of a violation because you are not free to leave once you enter the line. Also the consent to search is implied rather than explicit, a legal argument I've always been uneasy with. Third, the way I read the Constitution is that rights are "inalienable" (explicitly called out using that exact word) which as defined means "incapable of being alienated, surrendered or transfered" and the only way around the surrender of rights is with due process, bar none. So the term implied consent by merely participating in an activity is in my opinion Constitutionally unsound.

That said I also feel that we do not gain protection by giving up freedom but that freedoms have inherent protection built in. For example, what would have happened on 9/11 if everyone considered their personal protection to be their responsibility rather than the government? The government cannot protect you...if total government control equals safety, then why are prisons so dangerous? But then that's another argument.

 

Arrested for cheering at grad?

Damn!!!!!!

Cheering at Graduation Leads to Arrest, Diplomas Being Withheld - Yahoo!


Abner

 

What in the heck is wrong with the people that run our public schools?

Nothing, it's the parents fault.

 

I don't get the arrest part of it, was this person being beligerent? There is more to this story, I'm sure. What part of "Please hold your applause until the end so that everyone can hear their students name called" don't you understand? I've been to a number of graduations, if everyone is cheering then you cannot hear the next students name and it drags the ceremony on like an Oscar tv broadcast.

Thankfully, my parents were'nt surprised that I actually graduated.

 

Exactly. Rules were put in place and the consequences of not respecting the rules were made clear. Some people who think rules are for others decided to do their own thing in front of hundreds of children and their parents. I am sure the other parents were watching, as were the children to see if these rules would be enforced.

When the rules were enforced the perpetrators of these incidents cried foul. Never mind they had plenty of warning and forced the hand of the school board to follow through. They were the victims and sure enough they can find people to defend their actions.

What a fine example to set for your children at graduation. Rules are for other people and if you are caught claim you are the victim!

 

I will have sex without consenting to being touched by a woman.
I will inject myself with drugs and not consent to the effects.
I will read your post without consenting to the opinions therein.

There's a point at which common sense prevails in the adjudication of inalienable rights. I find that those with strong libertarian views often forget about personal responsibility.

It's not the government's responsibility to protect a person from lacking common sense. It is the government's responsibility to set guidelines in place such that order can be reasonably assured while providing people a choice.

At this point in time, it's common knowledge that if you get into a TSA line, you're going to be searched. It's also very well known where TSA lines are and why they're searching. Additionally, there are other options available to travel other than by air. Because those options are not as fast, people must occasionally use airplanes and know that they are going to be subject to search.

I also don't know of anyone that says the following in order.

1. "Hey lets just get up and go somewhere we have to fly to with no planning ahead of time."

2. "Dude, this is whack.. you know that trip we didn't plan for and the airfare we just impulse bought.. there's this guy who checks out your junk.. lets not go.."

However, I have in the past, lost a spouse in transit and had to leave a TSA line to meet back up with her. Given explanation I was allowed to leave and re-enter, but I needed to get to the ID check before I was allowed out of the ropes.

Next.. an expression of due process is fair notice of search and identity. If prom-goers are notified in advance of a mandatory test, they are not having their rights violated if they choose to go to the event.. they are implicitly consenting in exchange for the right to attend.

Why does it seem like there's so much more of this now than there was 50 years ago.

1. More people
2. Permissive parenting.
3. More mature kids who will experiment more readily without fear of consequences.
4. Social morality shifting.

It is your responsibility to protect yourself. The government protects the common needs via preventative law and protective custody after something has happened. It doesn't do jack against the guy breaking into my house as it's happening. That's why I have nasty thorny, but pretty plants outside all my windows and qualified on firearms.

I used to be into gun control and all that BS until I realized two things:

1. I got shot at once by a guy that didn't have the same worldview as I at the time.
2. Hot chicks really dig guns if you're a decent looking guy to begin with.

Because stupid+dangerous+no filter people are in jail and away from the people the government is trying to protect in the first place. There's a certain amount of your rights you do give up as a convicted prisoner.. I believe the first is the inalienable right to sole possession of your anus.

 

To be completely fair there's a whole bunch of condescending, field-inept, egocentric and self-entitled people teaching our kids in schools across the country as well. I know a few.

Parents are certainly the more important link to any child's success though.