Houston-area school district threatens to suspend students who protest after Florida shooting

[DonViejo]

Source: The Houston Chronicle




By Shelby Webb February 20, 2018 Updated: February 21, 2018 7:50am

Needville ISD Superintendent Curtis Rhodes on Wednesday threatened to suspend any student who disrupts schools or walks out to protest current gun laws.

In a letter sent to families and published on schools' social media sites, Rhodes said students would face a three-day, out-of-school suspension if they joined in growing protests nationwide over the shooting at a Florida high school last week.

"Life is all about choices and every choice has a consequence whether it be positive or negative. We will discipline no matter if it is one, fifty, or five hundred students involved," Rhodes wrote. "All will be suspended for 3 days and parent notes will not alleviate the discipline."

Student organizers in Florida are planning a March for our Lives on March 24 in Washington, D.C. to demand action on gun control. A National School Walkout planned by the Women's March organizers is set for March 14.



Read more: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/Houston-area-school-district-threatens-to-suspend-12628365.php

[Roy Rolling]

1. The line is drawn

They sent the letter to parents, because kids aren't buying that bullshit anymore.

[forgotmylogin]

44. That just makes it a three-day walkout.

They are all Spartacus - if every one of them walks out, what are they going to do? Suspend the whole student body and shut down for three days?

[yuiyoshida]

2. oh fuck, I hope they all walk out ...

That would show them, let them suspend thousands and lose lots of fucking money in the process!

[Javaman]

30. +1000 nt

[gopiscrap]

41. me too thern that evening protest at the home of that Superintendent

[tanyev]

3. Wouldn't March 14 be right in the middle of Spring Break in a lot of places?

[Javaman]

32. yes it is. the superintendent isn't the brightest bulb in the lot...

https://publicholidays.us/school-holidays/texas/houston-independent-school-district/

[ananda]

4. I hope the students walk out anyway!

In fact, the students everywhere should just go on strike
till change actually happens!

[certainot]

25. students at these 5 tex universities can protest right at their schools for

their endorsement of 16 limbaugh stations - Texas A&M 9, Texas Tech 4, Texas 1, Texas Christian 1, Baylor 1

and here are 20 limbagh/NRA radio stations that depend on 5 fla universities - 20 Florida 10, Florida St. 4 Miami 2, South Florida 2, Central Florida 2 - to keep broadasting sports on them so they can keep broadcasting limbaugh and local blowhards as they attack the students, make excuses for the NRA and enable the trump teabags around the country to keep obstructing gun control and keep r-con reps in line

[Fred Sanders]

39. The American bots of RW hate media are as bad as the foreign bots.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

45. yes!

They sow disinformation with exuberance. Some of the stuff they're saying about those survivors is just disgusting.

[SCVDem]

5. A Challenge?

Young people love a challenge, especially to authority!

Get ready for some vacation time off asshole!

But first you will be on the tee vee ''splaining" why you are so out of touch with your students!

[Farmer-Rick]

6. I bet if they walked out for Jesus

There would be no suspensions.

But they can pretend it's all about choices when it is really all about making the choice they want you to make. They obviously support the NRA and are trying to stop protesters.

Choices my behind, since when do they in Texas support a woman's right to choose abortions or anything else?

[backtoblue]

40. Amen nt

[FailureToCommunicate]

7. Students can just remind them of "Tinker v. Des Moines School District" and, if suspended,

speak proudly of their sentence for standing up for a righteous cause.

[csziggy]

34. The SCOTUS Majority Opinion in that case

The court's 7–2 decision held that the First Amendment applied to public schools, and that administrators would have to demonstrate constitutionally valid reasons for any specific regulation of speech in the classroom. The court observed, "It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."[4] Justice Abe Fortas wrote the majority opinion, holding that the speech regulation at issue in Tinker was "based upon an urgent wish to avoid the controversy which might result from the expression, even by the silent symbol of armbands, of opposition to this Nation's part in the conflagration in Vietnam." The Court held that for school officials to justify censoring speech, they "must be able to show that [their] action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint," that the conduct that would "materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school."[5] The Court found that the actions of the Tinkers in wearing armbands did not cause disruption and held that their activity represented constitutionally protected symbolic speech.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_v._Des_Moines_Independent_Community_School_District#Majority_opinion

Thank you for bringing this up. Every school official SHOULD be familiar with it so we don't have to keep fighting this shit over and over again.

[moriah]

37. An armband vs a walkout -- the latter could create disruption.

However, I doubt any honor roll kids are going to lose scholarships over a 3-day ISS for this.

Could actually help, potentially, if they're going for a pre-law program. I dunno how many would put "Actively participated in our democracy despite the threatened suspension" on their college apps, but...

[Historic NY]

8. What a dumbass. Rhodes your punishment said students would face a three-day,

out-of-school suspension if they joined in growing protests nationwide . Thats 3 days to support the other kids!!!! 1day vs 3days.

[Grins]

9. He just had to create a problem where none existed.

Could have been handled much better, but, no. Had to show his ass. This is just the authoritarian mind at work on those they think they own. Eff this guy.

[turbinetree]

10. Maybe the parents should file an injunction on their young adults behalf

and have it stated that under the First Amendment they can Protest, and tell this right wing asshole to go fuck himself basically, little fucking dictator huh, if I lived there I would tell my son or daughter take the day off and protest, I will take this asshole to court................. and then he threatens the parents, he should be fired, no wonder teachers, parents are worried about there family and love ones...................because their children and family members teachers are being massacred across the country








November 2018 cannot get here fast enough

[Chemisse]

11. I am curious how other school districts will handle this.

If administrators were supportive of the demonstration, they would be accused of playing politics with the students. And they would be liable if any student got hurt while going out of the school.

I think they would have to stand against it, but might vary in how enthusiastically they dole out punishments.

[DownriverDem]

12. WTF?

And repubs wonder why we hate them so much! If a lot of them protest, what is the school going to do, expel them all?

[dalton99a]

13. School board members:

[Ilsa]

15. Of course. What a good ol' boys club. nt

[ProfessorGAC]

27. School Board Members Have To Wear The Same Clothes?

That's just ridiculous. Put on a dress shirt and tie, morons. And the guy in the middle, wear dress pants like everyone else, you dullard.

[OhNo-Really]

28. Disrespect for the office because tan pants and mom jeans

[Ilsa]

14. I wonder when his NRA membership expires?

I think it is worth checking, if possible.

[longship]

16. Oh! That is utterly stupid!!!

PHWEEE! ACLU!!!

[Marthe48]

17. School flu

Based on 'blue flu'

[IronLionZion]

18. The more students involved, the harder it will be to punish them

I don't know if I would do it in similar circumstances since it's been decades since I was in school. But if hundreds of students walk out in protest, then it makes a bigger statement when they all get suspended. They can also use the suspension time to conduct other protests.

It will also be something to write about in college applications because they would have been punished for doing something useful instead of something bad.

[hibbing]

19. I think my district will support it

Certainly the district will not punish students who participate. I think they will use it as an opportunity. I talked with a former long time principal yesterday and that is how he thinks the district will respond. I hope this really does get organized and the protests are massive.

Peace

[hlthe2b]

20. What a STUPID response that is sure to backfire.

Accord them some respect and negotiate a way in which they can participate and show their support for the movement without losing the entirety of the current school session. A day off here or there is surely not going to devastate and could go such a long way in teaching CIVICS and the lessons of personal responsibility.

[Nitram]

21. Clearly Texas considers the 2nd Amendment more important than the 1st.

[bluestarone]

24. seems like

they do!! GOOD POINT!!

[BadgerKid]

22. Hmm..School cowers in face of free speech

I think we're witnessing the formation of a new generation's voice.

[dembotoz]

23. retalitation is a real thing

getting on the wrong side of administration can be bad for your plans for the future

i support the student walk out and would be proud if my kids walked(they are not out of highschool)
but then again i can not help or sink a students hope for a certain school

[bronxiteforever]

26. Al Pacino in Scent of a woman

As I came in here, I heard those words: "cradle of leadership."
Well, when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, and it has fallen here.
It has fallen.

Makers of men, creators of leaders. Be careful what kind of leaders you're producin' here.
Now here's Charlie. He's come to the crossroads.
He has chosen a path.
It's the right path.
It's a path made of principle...that leads to character.
Let him continue on his journey.
You hold this boy's future in your hands, Committee.
It's a valuable future, believe me.
Don't destroy it. Protect it. Embrace it. It's gonna make you proud one day, I promise you. How's that for cornball?

[rownesheck]

29. Oh!

please!!! I hope the entire district full of kids walks out! Decisions have consequences, superintendent...

[Pope George Ringo II]

31. Don't get your hopes up

Needville has a population of about 3,000. It's basically a bunch of rednecks. This heavy-handed proclamation is about playing to their parents, and frankly most of the kids are going to treat it as red meat too. If you're going to crap on the school board, do it for taking a bombastic stand against a foe that really doesn't exist for them.

And a few hours after this, they had a student arrested for threatening to take a shotgun to school.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/needville-teen-threatens-junior-high-in-snapchat-post-with-shotgun-image-authorities-say

[bobbieinok]

33. When is the next school board election?? Pic shows all white, all male

[Pope George Ringo II]

35. Won't matter.

They're 74 percent white, 26 percent Hispanic.

[Gore1FL]

36. If only they were as upset about school shootings as student protests... nt

[The Wizard]

38. The knuckle draggers

are being rejected by all normal Americans. We've had enough of their feigned outrage and Pox News propaganda.

[Orange Free State]

42. If I were a Senior in that High School....

I’d do the walkout, take the suspension, find a place to take the GED and go off to college. No need to look back, and I’d wear that GED like a badge of honor. Many universities would welcome a student who has taken a stand like that.

[Gothmog]

43. Needville is a very rural school district

[sarcasmo]

46. Don't the schools get funding based on each day a student attends?

That's all hot air.

[MarcA]

47. This is the same Loser district that in the past decade or so:

Suspended an elementary school boy for having braided hair,
Had an in house suspension on another high school student for
refusing to stand for the pledge, And the same superintendent,
showing personal responsibility values, said their dirty-playing
softball catcher wasn't really a bad person. Yeah, they really
have some Kultural values there.

[RainCaster]

48. We can't have those kids thinking for themselves!

Our one-size-fits-all policies of zero-tolerance-means-zero-thinking are the best thing for society.