Students Suspended for Anti-War Protests

[Chef Dave]

On November 1, over seventy students at Morton West High School in Berwyn, Illinois, were involved in a sit-in protest against the Iraq War. During third period dozens of students gathered in the school's lunch room. According to the superintendent, some students voluntarily returned to class after being told to disperse. Twenty-five others linked arms and stayed put.

The police were summoned and the school administration locked down the school for thirty minutes.

Students claim that they were told that there would be no consequences if they took their protest outside.

After the students went outside, the school identified participants and began calling parents. Before the end of the day, an estimated 37 students were either suspended for 10 days or were expelled. The remaining students received 3-5 days suspension.

The Chicago Sun Times reported the incident. After parents spoke out against the district's reaction, the district reversed their decision. No students were expelled and only 18 students received suspensions.

http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/berwyn/homepage/x676132191

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/649448,CST-NWS-protest14.article

What is your opinion regarding student protests? At what point should students be suspended or expelled for conducting civil protests at school?

[mopar]

Why would they protest the Iraq War during the school day? Students should be allowed to protest but I believe that this is something that should be done outside of school. The protest at school is disruptive to the other students (lockdown) and therefore warrants some kind of consequence. If the students wanted to protest in a park or some other place, go for it! It is great to exercise their freedom of speech and their opinions and beliefs.

[Chef Dave]

Cheryl L. Reed, an editor with the Chicago Sun Times, was interviewed by Fox News regarding the paper's recent editorial on the anti-war protest at Morton West High School.

Not only did she come out in support of the students but she also criticized the school district for actually suspending anyone.

The anchor person replied that there had to be consequences. The students disrupted the school day and defied administrative instructions to disperse and to return to class.

[Oak Tree]

They should be given the standard punishment for skipping, leaving class without permission and open defiance. Expulsion is way too harsh. I would say three to five days out are in order.

[mopar]

Of course the editors and anchor people are going to have an opinion. That's their job! But it is interesting to see that not everyone will fall on one side or the other. I just wish that staff and students had more common sense. Its been a long time coming, but I think that is the major change in the schools today.

[Chef Dave]

Here is a copy of the letter that was delivered to the school board by the parents of the children who protested. The letter was written in response to the news announcing mass expulsion.

http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/80090/index.php

Here also is an article: "Community slams Morton West High School's response to protest." The article describes the reaction of the audience who attended a school board meeting.

http://www.rrstar.com/news/state/x799503522

[Chef Dave]

It's amazing what you can find on-line. In an effort to avoid doing some much needed housekeeping, I got on line to look for the district's student handbook to see what the policies were for suspension/expulsion.

I couldn't find this information ... but I did find information regarding school statistical information.

Surprisingly enough, the vast majority of students at this Illinois high school (81%) are Hispanic.

In terms of test scores, only 34% of all juniors met state standards for reading last year. The state average was 58%.

Only 27% met state standards for math. The state average was 56%.

http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/il/district_profile/719

Dare I say it? If these students spent half as much time studying as they did with planning and implementing an unsanctioned protest, perhaps their test scores would be better?

I also can't help but wonder what sort of reaction these low test scores got from the parents.

[mopar]

I'm not sure if the parents care about the scores. I know many of my students' parents think that the scores only reflect on the school. Many parents don't care about the state tests. So, these parents may only see the state tests reflecting on the school not the student.

[Chef Dave]

I think some people have their priorities seriously messed up.

If you read the letter written to the superintendent by the parents, they demanded "total amnesty" for the civil protest. Granted - the idea of expulsion was a bit extreme ... but these kids disrupted the school schedule. They staged an unapproved sit-in in the school cafeteria. Although some of them dispersed after a talk with the school administration, the die hards stayed put and didn't leave until after the police were summoned.

The parents acknowledge that loitering is grounds for suspension. I would also think that failure to follow lawful instructions from the school administration would also warrant suspension.

One wonders precisely how these students defied the school administration? Did they respectfully decline to follow instructions to vacate the premises or did they use obscene, abusive, or threatening language?

Did any of the students who were considered for expulsion have prior "bad acts" with the school administration?

I find it hard to believe that the district would want to summarily expel students for staging this sit in. I think there's more going on behind the scenes that simply hasn't been reported.

As far as test scores go, my goodness ... one would hope that parents would take notice of their child's inability to even pass a competency test for basic skills.

A 34% passing rate in reading and a 27% passing rate in math? That's pathetic.

I wonder if this school has an academic policy that restricts participation in any and all extracurricular activities for those students who have failing grades or incomplete assignments?

My school has implemented this policy. The building administration doesn't care who it affects. Come the end of the week, if the star quarterback has an incomplete and there's a play off for the state championship that Saturday, guess what? He's not playing.

Academics come first.

[Oak Tree]

It's pretty funny that they want to participate in an act of civil disobediance and not receive any consequences. They might want to brush up on their history.

[mopar]

Chef Dave, It's amazing how much administrative support you have. My school can barely keep kids from playing for having an F, let alone D's. It is hard to make the students accountable if the admin isn't behind you.
I agree about the test scores. However, I still think that there are many parents out there who don't care about them or just don't understand them. A little information seems to have gone a long way to causing misinformation. I think that schools may need to look into tie more into the tests. If students don't have the necessary skills in reading and math, should they be promoted to the next grade???

[Chef Dave]

It's pretty funny that they want to participate in an act of civil disobediance and not receive any consequences. They might want to brush up on their history.

That's a very good point.

What will these students learn about due process, the law, and the importance of following school policy if there are no consequences?

Earlier in the year, two of our high school students went to the football field of our arch competitor and dug the intials of our high school into the field.

The students were both suspended. Their parents grounded them. They also had to pay back the cost for resodding the field.

Had the school administration just laughed this off, what might have happened? I think we would have seen an escalating war of vandalism between our two high schools.

[Oak Tree]

What will these students learn about due process, the law, and the importance of following school policy if there are no consequences?

They also need to learn that in and of itself believing in something is fruitless they are willing to make a real sacrifice in regards to that belief. If they really oppose the war they should be happy to face expulsion.

[Chef Dave]

Chef Dave, It's amazing how much administrative support you have. My school can barely keep kids from playing for having an F, let alone D's.

Yes, I am very fortunate.

This is my 18th year teaching, but it's my first year working as a high school chef instructor.

Most of the schools I have previously worked at have been very good about stating school policy but few have consistently enforced it. Whenever policy was enforced, parents were often to successfully challenge it by saying, "Why me? Why my kid? You've never done this before."

As one colleague put it, the downhill slide in expecations begins wil lax enforcement of school policy.

So what if kids come to school with body piercings? They're just expressing themselves.

So what if kids use colorful words. They're simply reflecting the language of their culture.

So what if kids distract themselves by using cell phones during school. Heaven forbid that we upset their parents by confiscating their phones.

The bottom line is this. The more you open Pandora's box, the harder it is to put everything back in.

Is it possible to clean up a school that's in decline. Yes ... but it'll be a uphill climb all the way. Consider the experience of Joe Clark who was portrayed in the movie, "Lean on Me."

In 1983 during his first week at Eastside High in Paterson, New Jersey, Joe Clark expelled 300 students for fighting, vandalism, drug possession, profanity and/or abuse of teachers. When parents challenged his decision he said, "If there is no discipline, there is anarchy. Good citizenship demands attention to responsibilities as well as rights."

Two years later he was named one of the nation’s "10 Principals of Leadership." During that same year, the state governor announced that this formerly troubled school was now a "model school." President Reagan even praised Mr. Clark by saying, "Sometimes you need Mister Chips, and sometimes you need Dirty Harry".

I am not saying that we have to be ogres as teachers ... but teachers and administrators need to consistently enforce expectations and school policy in a firm and fair manner otherwise we risk losing control of our respective schools.

[Chef Dave]

P.S. Regarding Joe Clark, I don't want anyone to think that his troubles ended after he received the praise of the Governor of New Jersey and the Presiden of the United States.

In 1987, he again locked horns with the school board over his decision to suspend 60 seniors.

When asked why he had done this, he said, ''I'm tired of parasites, leeches and mutants who don't want to do anything to better themselves." He also pointed out that most of the students who had been suspended were 18, 19, and 20 years of age and had been in high school for 5-6 years. He claimed that they had no hope of graduating and were just taking up space on the class rosters.

The school board told Mr. Clark to take the students back. He initially refused. After the school board threatened to suspend him for insubordination, he took the kids back but kept them isolated from the other students.

He subsequently sent a letter to the school board requesting a transfer unless the board would allow him to run the school as he saw fit.

When word about this got out, the other school administrators and half of the faculty also requested transfers to wherever the board reassigned Mr. Clark.

Fifteen hundred juniors and seniors rallied in support of Mr. Clark and the superintendent of schools, Dr. Napier, told the school board, "If Joe Clark goes, so do I.''

The board backed down and reassigned the 60 seniors who had been suspended to another school.

[Boxcar]

I agree that they need to look at history. And, what a better place for that then in the classroom?

A protest before or after school sounds fine. Or, the students could have choosen to wear t-shirts or buttons promoting their cause. That is a way of protesting during school hours without being disruptive.

Aren't you supposed to protest to the people who have the abiltiy to change things? Like in front of the state reps. house or whatever? Did they really think protesting to the principal would make a difference?

[Chef Dave]

Given their test scores, one wonders whether some students joined the protest simply to get out of class. :rolleyes:

[Chef Dave]

its been shame to that institution to take such an action aginst those students.actually they are in a good way by protesting war. their main aim is to spread peace all over.these peoples in that instituton are the biggest war makers and supporters . now its time to protest aginst them and give them maximum punishment...:mad::mad::mad:


But as Boxcar pointed out, the school protest served no point. The school is an institution of learning. It has nothing to do with the war in Iraq. If they really wanted to protest, they could have organized a protest outside a military base or an Army recruiting office. They could have protested outside a Federal office building.

As it was, they disrupted the school and a handful of insubordinate students forced the school administration to call the police.

Although most of the participants did not deserve suspension, the insubordinate students did. I am sorry that the school backed down in face of all the parent protests.

Students need to learn that there are consequences for the choices they make in life. Suspension following gross insubordination seems to be a logical consequence.

As it is I think the students learned that if they get into trouble, mom and dad will still bail them out.