WV student arrested/suspended for wearing NRA T-shirt

[Squidly]

This could be considered a morally gray area...

Logan Middle Parent Survey 2013Logan Middle Parent Survey 2013

This link takes you to the parent survey page for Logan Middle School (WV). There's a comment box at the bottom of the page. Let them know how you feel.

 

[Squidly]

I would say that the teacher and other school officials are in violation of this law as they disturbed the education process of this student when they took action against him that was unjust.

Hammer -> nail

 

[Stomper]

Three thoughts:

1. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill because of a t-shirt. I work at a public high school and guarantee that there were at least a handful of girls wearing low enough cut tops that their cleavage was more distracting than that kids t-shirt.

2. Can't believe the cops didn't bring up the mountain and molehill issue and the 1A issue.

3. The only thing the kid was guilty of is a really crappy haircut.

So... You admit that you're a dirty old perv, leering at the jail bait airheads, hmmm?

 

[Kevatc]

So... You admit that you're a dirty old perv, leering at the jail bait airheads, hmmm?

LOL! I've been at this now for 25 years and I can admit I'm old but I don't leer and I'm not a perv. I know you're tongue-in-cheeking me but I've never had a single complaint filed against me although, like any teacher in public ed, I've managed to make a student or parent upset without even trying. Funny, they never identify themselves ... just general bubbleguming. Oh well.

However, I am serious when I say that the kids t-shirt in the story was no more inappropriate than some 14 year old girl who has finally noticed her boobs and likes the attention from the boys. In fact, his t-shirt is consideraby less of a distraction to education than the way some kids dress.

Like I said before, his Justin Beeber haircut seems to be his biggest shortcoming in my old fart opinion. Get him a "high and tight" and the t-shirt will accentuate his look as young man who knows his amendments!

I predict the school district via their board of ed will be looking for a face saving retreat ASAP. If I am the parent I say that I won't sue but there had better be apologies directly to my kid, in the local newspaper, and on all the local TV news and radio stations within a week. No apology means you're giving me a bunch of money at some point and shelling out a bunch to an attorney to try and fix your stupidity. One option will brusie their pride, the other will bruise their pride and lighten their wallet considerably.

 

[Just Me]

Hopefully the ACLU will take the kids case.

Yep, they probably hate seeing drawings of patriots in 1776 in the history books.

I don't think they teach that any longer. If they do, they certainly don't use the term "patriots" because that is reserved for us gun nuts.

The only thing the kid was guilty of is a really crappy haircut.

I filled out the school survey and commented:

Leave your political beliefs out of the school and honor student diversity of beliefs. Your irrational fear of firearms and trampling of 1st Amendment Rights of students is disturbing the education process.

 

[oknow]

I agree with the suspension, rules are rules and no guns on shirts seems like a decent rule to me.

just another bloomberg goon in drag

 

[Redcap]

I agree with the suspension, rules are rules and no guns on shirts seems like a decent rule to me.

Did you eat a whole handful of stupid pills?

 

[Keane]

Interestingly, my High School had a nearly identically worded policy in the early 2000s, and a case about a Jeff Foxworthy (you might be a Redneck) went all the way to the Federal 3rd Circuit. See the case here: SYPNIEWSKI v. WARREN HILLS REGIONAL BOARD OF EDUCATION, No.?01-3542., October 03, 2002 - US 3rd Circuit | FindLaw

Basically, they found that the 'disrupts education' clause is an overly broad term and they cannot punish students for it, EVEN when they've been warned before. Seems like the kid has a case.

 

[RoneKiln]

The teacher should not have made an issue of the T-shirt. I'm pretty sure he wasn't arrested over the T-shirt though. I'm pretty confident he was arrested for how he conducted himself in the ensuing "dispute" that is referenced in the article.

Also, just a bit of Devil's Advocate; my Mom works with junior high kids and has several times asked what was meant to be an innocent question about a kids clothing logo, book, or magazine and had the kid instantly lash out in a very verbally hostile manner. Junior high can be a real rough time for kids and even an otherwise good kid can sometimes take all that out on the wrong person at the wrong time. It's always possible that none of this had anything to do with political hostilities (though I bet it played a big part).

 

[BroncoFan]

Questions remain unanswered for 8th grade student arrested over - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

Our education system is pathetic. The article above says one of the kid's friends was told to take off a shirt with a gun on it when he wore it to show support for him.

Have any of these a**hat educators looked at the state seal of West Virginia?!?!?! "Montani Semper Liber" indeed.


Interrupting the education process is an arrestable event? Please. Half the educators I know are quality folks and bring it everyday.
The other half would be guilty of disrupting the educational process for even showing up in the classroom.

 

[speeddemon94]

The problem in my mind, occurred when corporal punishment was taken out of schools. Should the kid be in trouble over his shirt? Nope. But I too think he likely got mouthy and argued with the teacher. Right or wrong, the teacher is in charge and kids don't know it anymore. But he should not have been arrested.

When I was a kid, if we mouthed off to a teacher and didn't get the paddle for it, there would have been a belt waiting at home.

These kids have no more fear of consequence anymore, so they do what ever they want.

 

[Angie]

So here's my question.

If the charge is "Disrupting the educational process" and that's punishable by incarceration and formal charges.

Have other students been dragged away and arrested for breaking the dress code policy at that school? If not, what makes this case so different

So I can have my middle school students arrested when they "disrupt the educational process"? That's great, because I would have about 10 kids arrested every class period for doing this. Then I could actually teach the ones who want to learn.

 

[Diamondback]

And look at how vague "disrupting the ed process" can be--if a student's peers decide they're one of the Out Crowd, they can just all complain about some random trivial thing under no control of that student's but somehow about them, and have them tossed on those grounds.

I know, it happened to ME a couple times when I was still incarcerated with those little monkey-humping pusbag Yuppie Larva for high-screwel.

 

[19 Adam]

One question that many are asking is how clothing that displays images of firearms can be punishable when a statue with a soldier carrying both a gun and a grenade stands proudly in the school parking lot.

Questions remain unanswered for 8th grade student arrested over - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

I bet this WWII bronze statue in that schools parking lot is gone before the end of the month!

 

[Kevatc]

The problem in my mind, occurred when corporal punishment was taken out of schools. Should the kid be in trouble over his shirt? Nope. But I too think he likely got mouthy and argued with the teacher. Right or wrong, the teacher is in charge and kids don't know it anymore. But he should not have been arrested.

When I was a kid, if we mouthed off to a teacher and didn't get the paddle for it, there would have been a belt waiting at home.

These kids have no more fear of consequence anymore, so they do what ever they want.

I'm not sure corporal punishment is all that effective. If I have to resort to smacking a kid then I've lost. Not that I haven't wanted to a time or two! However, I do agree, kids don't seem to fear consequences mainly because they haven't had to especially at younger ages or at home. Kind of a no win situation to have a kid be a turd at school but the parent/s don't have any rules or consequences at home. These seem to be the first parents who scream if their kid is punished. At any rate, kids are money to a school so adminstrators want to keep bodies in the seats. Makes it hard to call a spade a spade and make them face the consequnces of their actions. When I did my student teaching back in the mid 80's one of my duties was to supervise a period of in school suspension. These kids were put into deep cubicles where they couldn't see anyone else and they spent their entire suspension day doing homework or reading. No sleeping, no talking, no excuses, not many repeat offenders.

 

[Kevinkris]

I'm not sure corporal punishment is all that effective. If I have to resort to smacking a kid then I've lost. Not that I haven't wanted to a time or two! However, I do agree, kids don't seem to fear consequences mainly because they haven't had to especially at younger ages or at home. Kind of a no win situation to have a kid be a turd at school but the parent/s don't have any rules or consequences at home. These seem to be the first parents who scream if their kid is punished. At any rate, kids are money to a school so adminstrators want to keep bodies in the seats. Makes it hard to call a spade a spade and make them face the consequnces of their actions. When I did my student teaching back in the mid 80's one of my duties was to supervise a period of in school suspension. These kids were put into deep cubicles where they couldn't see anyone else and they spent their entire suspension day doing homework or reading. No sleeping, no talking, no excuses, not many repeat offenders.

detention and suspension are an unfair punishment, no one learns in that environment nor do they flourish. when i was still in school as surely many of you, i did not understand the true importance of why i had to go to school until it was all done and over with. taking away a child's chance to sit in an educationally nurturing setting is just as bad and making sure they never get a job worth having. also you may not have gotten repeat offenders because they refused to attend detention and took the suspension. when i was in high school i simply told them they will not see me in detention because i would never show up. sure i got punishment at home but nothing ever happened at school because they couldnt drag me in their because the times have changed. if you want a punishment that will be both productive and effective, you take away the weekends by requiring volunteer services where they will see what it is like to work and have an opportunity to learn new things.

in the end my dad stood behind me on my choice to defy the dean at my school about not showing up to detention but he didnt let me get away with it and its likely something the parents of many of these children are failing to do. this situation is likely much more than what really happened but the teacher had no place telling him his shirt was inappropriate in the first place.

 

[Stomper]

What some of you may not realize is that MANY, MANY parents look at the schools as "day care" and don't (or can't) give a tinker's dam. They are perfectly happy to let "the system" raise their kids for them... Seriously.... so little time, so much reality TV and "poorno" to watch.

 

[bzltyr]

Funny

Where'd that troll spray get to?




Found it!

 

[RicInOR]

Back in school with a large number of his classmates in support.

West Virginia teen arrested over NRA shirt returns to class | Fox News

 

[Squidly]

W.Va. Teen Arrested After 'Almost Inciting Riot' Wearing NRA Shirt to School

Believe this? I guess the first headlines didn't get the desired response.