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Madame Butterfly

Student Suspension

Should this student have been suspended?  

33 members have voted

  1. 1. Should this student have been suspended?

    • Yes
      5
    • No
      25
    • Other
      3


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Student Suspended Over Call From Mom in Iraq

 

 

 

COLUMBUS, Ga. (May 6) - A high school student was suspended for 10 days for refusing to end a mobile phone call with his mother, a soldier serving in Iraq, school officials said.

 

The 10-day suspension was issued because Kevin Francois was "defiant and disorderly" and was imposed in lieu of an arrest, Spencer High School assistant principal Alfred Parham said.

 

The confrontation Wednesday began after the 17-year-old junior got a call at lunchtime from his mother, Sgt. 1st Class Monique Bates, who left in January for a one-year tour with the 203rd Forward Support Battalion.

 

Mobile 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."

 

Parham said the teen's suspension was based on his reaction to the teacher's request. He said the teen used profanity when taken to the office.

 

"Kevin got defiant and disorderly," Parham said. "When a kid becomes out of control like that they can either be arrested or suspended for 10 days. Now being that his mother is in Iraq, we're not trying to cause her any undue hardship; he was suspended for 10 days."

 

 

05/06/05 12:23 EDT

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What a stupid thing for them to do.

If I was him I would get a lawyer.

Yes rules are rules But not set in stone

There are always exceptions. And this sounds like one.

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I think an exception should have been made.

 

The entire staff at that school was most likely made aware of this students parents deployment long ago.

 

Once that teacher knew he was speaking to his mother, he should have been taken someplace private so that he could continue the conversation.

 

Rules are rules, but there are always exceptions.

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I would have stepped into the hallway to finish the conversation. Then it wouldn't have been disruptor to the class. This sentence will get overturned for sure.

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The article says he was at lunch he was not borthing anyone.

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I feel that blindly following the rule is being too inflexible. Too often zero tolerance rules are instituted without thinking about consequences. In this case the school looks heartless - terrible public relations. I also wonder if this is a suspension from being in school or just suspension from classes. If this student is kept from being in school, who will be around to supervise him if one of his parents is in Iraq?

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Ya know, I think the school was out of line. If he used profanity, I can see a detention. but ten days for talking to his mother in Iraq on a Cell Phone during LUNCH? I don't know where Spencer High is, but if I was a teacher there, you can bet your behind I'd be in the principle's office giving the Asst. Principle a peice of my mind.

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Rules exist because someone in charge has determined that people lack the internal mechanisms to govern themselves. What usually happens is that you have draconion rules that hurt everyone because one or two people lack personal ethics or control. This behavior (draconion rule making) is becoming an epidemic in our schools. It is also a hallmark of the workplace. It is going to exist in any organization subject to government regulation

 

No, a kid should not be suspended 10 days for talking to his mom. But if they hadn't suspended him - at least one other kid on campus would have started yelling bias, discrimination, special favors etc when he was told to turn off his cell phone.

 

Just another reason I believe in private schools

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News update. After being ridiculed across the country, the school has downgraded the suspension from 10 days to 3 days. He goes back to school on Monday.

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That is such a stupid reason for suspension. For one thing he porbally does not talk to her a lot and second of all she might not be alive the next day because she is in a war zone. In my school you can go outside the first set of doors and talk and you it does not bother anybody. And come on it was during lunch! How would it disturb the educational process!!?!?!

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The report says he was defiant and disorderly. Yes the school could have been more understanding but he shouldn't have reacted like that in school. 10 days suspensions seems a bit severe.

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There ought to be a change in this schools rules. Emergencies, lunch times and breaks cell phone usage is fine, all other times it should be on silent, and not on visible display or being used, Breaking of the rule should be punished with a 24 hour suspension.

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You know, whether his mom was calling from Iraq or Wal-Mart, he was breaking the rules. And I'm sure he became belligerent and confrontational when the teacher (who is charged with maintaining discipline with children who have no discipline at home) confronted him.

 

Someone has to lay the smack down on these wild animals who are parading around as students in the schools. Lord knows their parents aren't doing it ... and then everyone wants to blame the teachers and the schools because these kids are "failing" and also don't know how to behave.

 

This kid may well have been talking to his mother who is in Iraq, but you know that mom should not have called him during the school day ... she's just as guilty as he is for this rule infraction. My question is why do children think that having a cell phone in school is their "right?" Why do they have cell phones at all? It's just one more thing that underlines the point: Society is going straight to hell and there's no one to blame but the parents of these social degenerates.

 

10 days was a bit much, but 3 days seems quites reasonable. And he shouldn't be allowed to make up any of the work that he missed. Suspension used to mean something -- not just a three-day vacation.

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Actually, after my first post I read somewhere the school does make efforts to let students contact their military parents because the school is located near a base and there are a large number of students contacting parents. So again, there is a question why didn't the student (and mother as Gul-nudrog pointed out) work within the guidelines. But then - military life isn't subject to the same schdule as the rest of the world and they may have to call when they can - and when you know that every time you speak to someone on active duty in a hot zone like Iraq that it could be your last talking to them - I think a little leeway is in order.

 

gul_nodrog Posted Today, 09:17 AM

Someone has to lay the smack down on these wild animals who are parading around as students in the schools.

 

Are you a teacher? :rofl:

 

My number one reason for preferring private schools - the parents are more involved with their children. Maybe if all parents had more of a direct connection with their child's school and say - if they didn't do their part the child would be sent somwhere else - maybe discipline would improve.

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Actually, after my first post  I read somewhere the school does make efforts to let students contact their military parents because the school is located near a base and there are a large number of students contacting parents.  So again, there is a question why didn't the student (and mother as Gul-nudrog pointed out) work within the guidelines.  But then - military life isn't subject to the same schdule as the rest of the world and they may have to call when they can - and when you know that every time you speak to someone on active duty in a hot zone like Iraq that it could be your last talking to them - I think a little leeway is in order.

323143[/snapback]

 

Absolutely correct, TUH. I agree with what Jim said. Don't suspend him, but if he used profanity towards a teacher or administrator, give him an after school detention.

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You know, whether his mom was calling from Iraq or Wal-Mart, he was breaking the rules.  And I'm sure he became belligerent and confrontational when the teacher (who is charged with maintaining discipline with children who have no discipline at home) confronted him. 

 

Someone has to lay the smack down on these wild animals who are parading around as students in the schools.  Lord knows their parents aren't doing it ... and then everyone wants to blame the teachers and the schools because these kids are "failing" and also don't know how to behave.

 

This kid may well have been talking to his mother who is in Iraq, but you know that mom should not have called him during the school day ... she's just as guilty as he is for this rule infraction.  My question is why do children think that having a cell phone in school is their "right?"  Why do they have cell phones at all?  It's just one more thing that underlines the point:  Society is going straight to hell and there's no one to blame but the parents of these social degenerates.

 

10 days was a bit much, but 3 days seems quites reasonable.  And he shouldn't be allowed to make up any of the work that he missed.  Suspension used to mean something -- not just a three-day vacation.

323140[/snapback]

 

 

 

Wow. :rofl:

 

The compassion and neutral attitude you've taken make me feel all snuggly and warm.

 

 

I have neices and nephew who have had a father in the war zone.

 

The schooled worked with them, not against them.

 

If this school is in an area where many people are in the military, as someone else posted, than it would be irresponsible of them NOT to have some sort of measure in place for this sort of thing.

 

Do you get the weekend paper? In this weekends Parade magazine there is a story told by a young boy on how his family is coping with his mother being in Iraq.

I suggest you read it.

 

Find some compassion.

 

I don't think this boy was a wild animal. I think this boy was lucky to have a parent who called to let them know they are ok and thinking of them, and wanting to be in touch.

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I voted 'other' but the position I liked best was presented by gul nodrog. How did that teacher know whether the student was actually talking to his mother or his girlfriend?

Some students tell lies.

 

So the teacher should have investigated whether or not it was the mother from Iraq.

The student should have been taken to the office, where his truthfulness could be determined. then a decision could be made as to whether an exception should be granted. This could be done befroe the boy and his mother were disconnected. But the exception should not be made on the spot in front of the whole school in the lunchroom, because then they would have the problem of enforcing rules, as described by gul nodrog.

 

I am glad that since the student's response was to show disrespect to the teacher that he still has some suspension, and that the school has not completely bowed to public opinion with regard to his discipline.

 

Perhaps the school could now take under consideration the type of circumstances where they would grant exceptions, so that they can better handle such situations in the future.

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I think there is information missing here.

 

Mobile 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."

 

And then it goes to this

 

Kevin got defiant and disorderly," Parham said. "When a kid becomes out of control like that they can either be arrested or suspended for 10 days. Now being that his mother is in Iraq, we're not trying to cause her any undue hardship; he was suspended for 10 days."

 

 

 

Now what is missing is how the teacher handled this situation after he expressed a strong opinion.

 

I think if we had some explanation as to how the teacher handled this from that point on, it may help us to be able to decide if his defiant and disorderly behavior was his attitude problem, or a response to something else.

Edited by Madame Butterfly

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Being in the military and right now deployed I may have something to say about this topic.

 

His mother called him at that time for a reason, because it might be THE ONLY TIME THAT SHE COULD HAVE CALLED HIS SON!!! She could have gone on mission and died at that time. First the call went through AT&T and the call costs a $1.00 a minute. When a person is deployed they just can't call anytime when it is convent for the other person who might get the call. The job in the military comes first period. Everything else, that includes families, are second when the person is deployed.

 

For those who have never experenced life in the military will never understand the stress that is in when a parents are deployed! It is understandable that her son reacted that way. We don't know when the last time he saw his mother, and he must be missing her very much. The school should have known this and given him the time to talk to his mother, because it might have been the last time he could have talked to her.

Edited by Odie

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Being in the military and right now deployed I may have something to say about this topic.

 

His mother called him at that time for a reason, because it might be THE ONLY TIME THAT SHE COULD HAVE CALLED HIS SON!!!    She could have gone on mission and died at that time. First the call went through AT&T and the call costs a $1.00 a minute.  When a person is deployed they just can't call anytime when it is convent for the other person who might get the call.  The job in the military comes first period.  Everything else, that includes families, are second when the person is deployed.

 

For those who have never experenced life in the military will never understand the stress that is in when a parents are deployed!  It is understandable that her son reacted that way.  We don't know when the last time he saw his mother, and he must be missing her very much.  The school should have known this and given him the time to talk to his mother, because it might have been the last time he could have talked to her.

323188[/snapback]

 

Odie is exactly right. And I've experienced this on both sides: The deployed parent (though at the time I had one son who was very young and another on the way) and being the child of a deployed parent. Another thing to consider is this: Georgia and Iraq are in different time zones. I think the difference is 7 or 8 hours. If it's 11 or 12 in Georgia, it's probably 7 or 8 PM in Iraq. by the time he gets out of school, his mom is probably in her rack and sleeping. and, there is the uncertainty factor: It's 20:30 right now, i'm not doing anything, I'm going to call my son on his cell phone, he should be in lunch right now. But, by 23:30, she could be out on patrol, or on duty, or something. we just don't know.

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Are you a teacher? :rofl:

 

323143[/snapback]

 

I'm not a teacher but my husband has been for the past 12 years. We see these spoiled brat children every day ... carrying their cell phones (he's confiscated 10 cell phones within the past two weeks), driving cars with personalized license plates, words written across their rear-ends, boobs spilling out over the top of the shirts, thongs showing out the rear of their jeans, getting tattoos for the birthdays paid for by their parents, the list goes on and on.

 

Children lie. Children are disrespectful. Give a child an inch and he will take a mile. The parents of one of my husband's really great students were killed over spring break in a car accident ... 10 kids also in the band got busted calling in on their cell phones from the lunch room (lounge really, complete with jukebox, widescreen televisions, and Gamecube/Playstation) pretending to be their parents and saying they had permission to leave the school for the funeral. It just goes beyond tacky ... and they had to learn that behavior somewhere and my money says they learned it at home. Our generation are the worst parents in the history of parenthood.

 

My husband's school finally got some balls and started cracking down on those stupid cell phones. I feel like Picard, "The line is here. Here and no further!" Somebody has to set some boundaries and enforce them.

 

This is what my husband sees every day ... and this is supposedly one of the best public schools in the area. I can't even imagine the worst.

 

So yes, it's all so sad and tragic that his mother is in Iraq. And it's a shame that teachers and administrators have to take such a hard line on stuff ... there are good kids in the schools. You've got to sniff them out and they will let you down 9 times out of 10 anyway, but they are there. And I guess it's worth it for the 1 time in 10 when they don't disappoint you.

 

I weep for this country and what we've become.

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Hearing all of this really makes me feel good about sending my son to private school all of his life.

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I'll say this for the school I am going to be working at:We don't have a problem with Cell Phones. The students there are covert. keep them on vibrate, because quite frankly, the average student can't afford to buy a new one if it gets confiscated or destroyed. and we have alot of city government involvement---if you've read anything about those two girls murdered up here, you may have read an interesting fact about Zion: The mayor is also a HS teacher. (Zion's mayor, Lane Harrison, makes 17,000 as Mayor of Zion. he makes about 34,000 as a HS teacher.)

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B) B) No, deffinately not, i would have reacted with alot less restraint than this lad, i believe he made the right decision to refuse, and that the school system is royally *****d up B) :laugh: B) B) B)

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This is a tough decision...

 

After thinking about it, I do think the kid was in the right. That's when his mother was able to call him, so that was when he was able to talk to her. Not allowing cell phone usage during lunch hour is assenine, imo.

 

If he was completely disrespectful, he did deserve some punishment. However, I'm with Madame Butterfly; we need to know what kind of attitude he received before we can pass judgment. I've dealt with a few overzealous teachers before. You can enforce rules, but don't cross the line of civility without cause.

 

As for cell phones in schools, I don't see a problem with it whatsoever as long as they are kept quiet and not used during class times. If they are used during breaks, what's the big deal? For the example gul nodrog gave, they could've just as easily made those (incredibly tactless) calls from a payphone outside (most public schools have those, right?).

 

Also, I don't know how school policies differ, but confiscating for the day is fine. But if a school official tried to confiscate my cell phone, or any of my personal belongings, with the intention of keeping them..... :laugh:

NO ONE has the rights or the grounds to do that. It's an often expensive item paid for with the kid's or the parent's own money. Taking it may reduce problem occurances, but it's still stealing.

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That school is so dumb to do that! Why do people have to be so crude. This is one reason why i can't wait to get out of high school so I don't have to go through stuff like this.

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If he was on his lunch the school had no right to tell him to turn his phone off if he was in class fair enough but that school choudl have made a exception for the child.

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Has anyone besides me noticed this is a 3-year old topic?

Wow! Time went by fast! I had two children since this topic was posted. :superhappy:

Edited by Odie

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ODIE!!!

 

Hot mustard! I was wondering what had happened to you!! I think I speak for everyone here when I say you've been dearly missed. TWO kids now?? I'm giddy and ecstatic for you. Update your personal log and fill us in on what's been going on in your life!!! Good to see you again!!!!!

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