Ohio student suspended for staying in class during walkout protest

[Dacien]

I have a feeling only approved political activism would be accommodated so reasonably by school officials like this was. I'm not sure a pro-life walk-out would be met with such understanding and willingness to allow students to protest.

And on that note, where do we draw the line? If we can have students walk out for gun control, can we have them walk out for various causes throughout the year? Maybe a walk-out against the war in Afghanistan, or to protest Guantanamo Bay? This is a cool concept, using schoolkids to bolster a political cause, maybe there's room for expansion?

[Kiri]

I have a feeling only approved political activism would be accommodated so reasonably by school officials like this was. I'm not sure a pro-life walk-out would be met with such understanding and willingness to allow students to protest.

And on that note, where do we draw the line? If we can have students walk out for gun control, can we have them walk out for various causes throughout the year? Maybe a walk-out against the war in Afghanistan, or to protest Guantanamo Bay? This is a cool concept, using schoolkids to bolster a political cause, maybe there's room for expansion?

I am fairly sure that this is special, because this is something that directly impacts children in school. If politicians show that they are A-OK with you having to fear your school might be hit next, that is a fairly good justification for protesting.

Slippery slope arguments are stupid because anything can be a slippery slope, virtually by definition.

[Zeta333]

Then arrest them for vandalism, because unless the protest itself was an excuse to cause trouble, it shouldn't be hampered just because you don't like the cause. Like WBC frustrates me but they should still be allowed to protest.

The children can protest all they want but charge them all with truancy like they should be. Teachers should be in thier classroom for the children that want to learn and do work. This isnt complicated.

[Crissi]

The children can protest all they want but charge them all with truancy like they should be. Teachers should be in thier classroom for the children that want to learn and do work. This isnt complicated.

Its about as much truancy as a trip to the zoo is truancy. If its school sanctioned, its fine.

Also, they had people for the students that wanted to not protest and work instead, so its not a problem.

[Tiwack]

The school took a political position. They could have said that they would conduct classes normally, but if students didn't show up to school, it would be treated like as if they had called in sick. What they ended up doing was to facilitate the walk out, imposing their politics on the students.

What is worse, is that I see a government organization like a school, taking a position in support of a political protest, as a violation of the civil rights of the students. Just because you might agree with the grounds of the protest, what right does a school have to legitimize a political position in this way? What if the protest was instead to hold a 'Dear Leader Day' where everyone would literally worship Donald Trump like a god, wouldn't it be a violation of the rights of students for their school to tacitly endorse 'Dear Leader Day'?

If what you're saying made sense they'd be violating their own rights. I dunno why you think this protest was the schools or teachers idea? Or that they were encouraged instead discouraged from doing it - "tacitly endorsed"

Showing solidarity isn't the worst quality in the world and I'd bet they made a lesson out of it with parallels to society along with history.

Good luck getting an entire class to agree on anything. Hence this hit-piece of an article in the first place.

[Zeta333]

What a good use of taxpayer money and the courts and police time :P

you have freedom of speech not consequences. They left class while class was in session.

[Zeta333]

It doesn't matter what you say Crissi they just want to discredit the gun control movement and kids who are walking out however they can. If it wasn't this, it would be something else.

It's just a fun coincidence that this time they are transparently trying to shit on teenagers while being adults so it's ridiculous even to people outside of the political spectrum.

I dont give a fuck if the walkout is about guns or the flavor of chicken nuggets served at school. They left class while it was in session and a child who wanted to just remain in class and do work got written up instead. This is 10 levels of fucked. You wanna be an adult and stand up for somthing thats fine but be an adult and take the consequences. Otherwise protest on someone elses time not the teachers.

[Jimmy Woods]

ya i am sure most of the students cared about politics and not the chance to skip out on school.

Fun Fact: Kids in Boston had no school because of a snow day, still showed up just so they could participate in the walk out. BUT the right pushing the narrative that kids just want to skip school FEELS like a good argument because it dismisses the issue rather than dealing with it. If you keep dismissing the growing calls for gun regulation soon the calls won't be for expanded background checks and bans on high capacity clips but will be an all out gun ban if the right keeps up this attitude.

[Zeta333]

No no it's perfectly normal to shit on teenagers for not wanting to be shot to death in school.

Perfectly normal.

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That's not the issue. The issue is that you want to waste our money and time to pursue your own political agenda.

My political agenda has nothing to do with this, the Children should be in class getting educated.

[Dacien]

I am fairly sure that this is special, because this is something that directly impacts children in school. If politicians show that they are A-OK with you having to fear your school might be hit next, that is a fairly good justification for protesting.

I don't think politicians are "A-okay with it", they simply disagree on policy prescriptions. Even though I'm sure there are many kids who are politically savvy, I'm sure there quite a number of these kids who are going to grow up and say to themselves, "Wow, I didn't understand the complexities of the issue at all. I feel foolish about it now."

[Jonnusthegreat]

I supppose it depends on what the school thought would be more disruptive. Allowing the students to take a short protest break, or forbid them entirely and deal with a vast amount of unhappy unruliness.

Policies dictate that students stay in the classroom, though, and walkouts should be punished according to policy. If you believe in a cause, you need to face the consequences of supporting it. That's what civil disobedience is about.

[Trassk]

Unless of course you bother to actually read the article, they you'd know the OP is lying.

excuse me but what was he lying about exactly? He linked the article, gave his thoughts on it, and just to check the article was genuine I googled it, showing its been broadcast over many news stations and sites.

[Crissi]

Policies dictate that students stay in the classroom, though, and walkouts should be punished according to policy. If you believe in a cause, you need to face the consequences of supporting it. That's what civil disobedience is about.

I understand that, its part of what made MLK and Rosa Parks so great. However, its also up to the school to determine when to enforce said policies, and if enforcing it makes sense or will just agitate things (law enforcement does this a lot too, actually). Id also need to see specific policies.

like my HS would punish if you went off to do whatever with no excuse ( although Seniors had more leewya since seniors could go offcampus during free time, aka lunch and free period and whenever the teacher gave the ok), however they heavily encouraged being active civilly so they'd be ok with a mass protest. Private school though...

[rayden54]

So he wasn't punished because he didn't protest he was punished because he didn't go to study hall like he was supposed to?

I mean granted it's retarded to punish anyone for something so minor when kids are walking out, but still, it's just hypocritical it's not some kind of political retribution.

Personally, I consider complying with the school sanctioned alternative to be implicitly supporting the protest. After all, if the kids refuse to leave the classrooms, the teachers would have to stay and watch them (the protest only occurs with the kids support--either by leaving classroom or walking-out). Problem is, this kid, who's doing what I consider to be a counter-protest, is claiming to be doing it to remain apolitical.

[Kiri]

I don't think politicians are "A-okay with it", they simply disagree on policy prescriptions. Even though I'm sure there are many kids who are politically savvy, I'm sure there quite a number of these kids who are going to grow up and say to themselves, "Wow, I didn't understand the complexities of the issue at all. I feel foolish about it now."

Politicians, the one who should understand the complexities of the issue, have had decades to fix it. School shootings in the US are not exactly a new phenomenon. Yet, the 'policy prescription' offered by those in power, no matter who is in the White House, so far has been the same. Thoughts, prayers, maybe some soft regulations that are quietly undone soon after. That is what they have always done, and that approach has failed to stop school shootings from happening. In that time, my country has had one school shootings, we decided that something needed to be done, did something to restrict gun access further and haven't had any more of those.

Anyway, facing the failure of established politicians to prevent shootings, I think that students have a right to voice their own opinion on this particular issue. They can't vote yet, so this is the only avenue they have.

[Travis B]

Special snowflake gets suspended because he thought he didn't have to follow the rules. I don't see the problem here.

[s_bushido]

He was told what to do if he didn't want to participate. He decided he didn't want to do what he was told to do. He was punished for it.

What's the story again? Ah, yes, American conservative persecution complex. How silly of me.

[Vargulf the Happy Husky]

this whole country is spiraling out of control and damn near deserves to have rights taken away, which is where we're heading...

maybe the kid had options, but he PROTESTED them all and stayed where he was. the contradictions here could not be shining brighter.




YOU PEOPLE TAKE LIFE WAY TOO SERIOUSLY.

[Goldielocks]

Clearly the reasoning behind the suspension has been lost on many. He wasn't suspended for not protesting. He was suspended for disobeying a teacher's commands. They didn't want to leave the kid behind on his own, so they asked him to go to the study hall, and he refused.

This isn't hard.

[Jonnusthegreat]

Yeah the kids who survived a school shooting are going to be super sympathetic to the positions of the NRA lobby I am sure.

Imagine being this delusional.

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It's pretty hard and unproductive to punish hundreds of teenagers for protesting against murder.

Which is why they don't do it.

That's actually what they do.