Illinois High School Students Face Expulsion for Anti-War Protest [ ~24 given 10-day suspensions ]

[tiptoe]

Source: Democracy Now!

Headlines for November 7, 2007

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- 2007 is Deadliest Year for U.S. Troops in Iraq
- 60 Killed in Afghan Suicide Bombing
- Pakistan Police Vow Crackdown on Mass Protest
- Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Mukasey
- Lawmakers Approve $459B Military Spending Bill
- Judge OKs Torture Suit Against U.S. Contractor
- Nicaraguans Win Damages for Dole Pesticide Spraying
- Yahoo Officials Defend Role in Chinese Journalist Jailing
- Illinois High School Students Face Expulsion for Anti-War Protest

(10:35)...
And in Illinois, nearly two dozen high school students have been suspended and now face possible expulsion for holding a peaceful protest against the war in Iraq. Last Thursday, students at Morton West High School in the town of Berwyn locked arms and sang protest songs in an approved area on school grounds. One participant said the group had been told they would face no more than a Saturday detention for missing class. But they were each given ten-day suspensions and told they could be expelled. The American Civil Liberties Union says it may take up the case.

Read more: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/07/155209

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[ixion]

1. so students excercise their right of Freedom on Speech, and they're punished for it

what a great message that sends them. :grr:

[tiptoe]

3. Wait for the message *they send* if/when teens are ever confronted with a military draft.

I hope the ACLU gives exposure to this and other suppression-of-free-speech cases by teens.

[MNDemNY]

4. As with all civil disobedience,

They should go into it with the expectation to suffer the consequences of skipping class, but 10 day suspension and possible expulsion? that is ludicrous.

[ixion]

5. sure, the saturday detention made sense...

but 10+ expulsion is way out of line.

[MNDemNY]

8. What kind of a message does THAT send?!

[kestrel91316]

11. There's an up side. Those students will probably all now become

dedicated fire-breathing liberal activists, if they weren't already. This sort of persecution is inoculation AGAINST becoming a RW freak.

When I was a Junior in HS I was denied a kennel job at a vet clinic specifically because I was female (the vet said it was a "boy's job" AFTER interviewing me). That simple injustice set me on the path I have followed with singleminded purpose (with the exception of a brief, ill-considered foray into Libertarianism) for the past 33 years. How could I EVER be anything but a true feminist after experiencing that?

[Trillo]

14. Not necessarily.

After all, schools are often considered liberal, regardless of whether that's a correct perception or not, aren't they. Further, they were 'punished' for being liberal activists.

I'm not at all happy with any of the democrats candidates positions on education. Not one of them is addressing unreasonable school punishments, the preponderance of negative reinforcement used therein, or the class-based society they initiate, filter, and fundamentally engineer for the state; with the deliberate discards left only to hear for the rest of their lives from various sources the many and sundry benefits of education.

Fear, fear, fear: Such marvelous training for maintaining the push-pull authoritarian-submission culture of haves and have nots.

[1monster]

17. That's ironic because around here, I've never seen a male kennel assistant at the

vets in the thirty-three years that I've been taking pets to the vets.

In fact, these days, there is one male vet at the office I use most, and about five or six female vets... All the rest of the employees there are female, too.

[1monster]

16. That is exactly the message the administration of that school WANTS to send.

"Open your mouth, stand up for your rights and for what is right and we'll crush you!"

[sakabatou]

2. ::headdesk::

[no_hypocrisy]

6. So it's OK to have an antiabortion christian club on campus but it's NOT OK

to have a peaceful protest against the Invasion (it isn't a war).

[zabet]

7. Exactly what popped into my mind when I read the OP. nt

[Brrrp]

9. Sign the petition supporting the students here.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mortonw/petition.html

[SyntaxError]

10. This is BS, they shouldn't get anymore than anyone else would if they skipped class...

Unless it's normal for students to get 10 days suspension for skipping a class, then this is pure bullshit.


I assume I'm preaching to the choir though.

[Sequoia]

12. :(

[abq e streeter]

13. I sort of don't mean this, but sort of do.

Maybe it'll be good if this ridiculous, excessive punitive action stands as is. It'll be a lesson they'll never forgot re: exactly who and what their educational system is being run for the benefit of. Hint: not for them...

[Ellen Forradalom]

15. Morton high school district. Why am I not surprised.

There's a reason why parents who value education move across Roosevelt Road to Oak Park.

[tiptoe]

18. early background details here -->

Morton West High School Expulsion (for student anti-war protest)