Today we are going to see our government schools encourage and facilitate the use of our children to agitate in support of a political issue. It is an abhorrent abuse of power.
Students across the country and around the world are expected to take part in a National School Walkout today in a call on Congress to pass tighter gun control laws.
The ENOUGH National School Walkout will be held this morning — exactly one month after the mass shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people and sent shock waves across the nation.
From what I have been able to find, some organization called Action Network or Women’s March Network is behind this. Action Network helps groups organize for progressive causes. So this protest is political not educational.
As this is non-educational time out of the classroom during the school day, what is the plan to make up the classroom time??
Obviously, law enforcement will be present. Taxpayer $$ are earmarked for education. Will students or the school teachers/administrators pay for the costs incurred??
I understand the purpose is to protest Congress’ inaction to do more in response to gun violence. What is IT that the protesters want Congress to do exactly??
>Action Network or Women’s March Network
Sound like Russian Troll farms.
Owen says:
I don’t see evidence of that in the article you linked. Do you have some other evidence of that you’d like to present?
Um…. “call on Congress to pass tighter gun control laws”
Last I checked, that was a political issue.
It is a shame that some school districts didn’t use this as a teachable moment. The public HS in my hometown (ditto where I live now) took advantage of the opportunity and had the kids research and present on the purpose, history and effectiveness of protests. Just look at what has worked in the past; Boston Tea Party (how ironic is that !), women’s suffrage, civil rights, Viet Nam, etc. Whether or not you agree with the purpose of the protest, the opportunity to learn from it was there.
How did “our government schools encourage and facilitate”? Do you mean by letting them protest, or do you mean to say they took an active role?
Goodness, you are dense. The school district told the students that they would not be punished for skipping class (encouraged) and supervised the kids during their protest (facilitated).
The administration decides not to punish all sorts of behaviors all day long. For them to punish a behavior, they need legal standing and policy to do so. What policy and legal justification would’ve allowed them to carry out a punishment, and what would that punishment be, and what sort of consequential legal reactions might come from that? If you were an administrator, you’d try to think a few steps ahead.
I have no doubt that school administrators are highly sensitive to public blow-back. They don’t like to rock the public boat. I’m never surprised when they avoid controversy.
In this case, tens of thousands of school administrators decided that this student response to a dramatic event was appropriate or at least not in-appropriate, not disruptive, and that any public response against their decision would be minimized if they just let the students do it.
What Owen said..
Hey jjf,
The ACLU says an appropriate response would be the same as for any other unexcused absence. In most schools, that’s detention.
https://www.aclu.org/issues/free-speech/student-speech-and-privacy/students-rights-speech-walkouts-and-other-protests
Yes, the administration can decide if they want to enact a punishment.
In my experience, high schools these days aren’t paying attention to unexcused absences. The parent might get an auto-call, text, or email. They don’t get called in until it’s exceeded a few dozen. Frustrating but true.
I quote from Fort Atkinson Superintendent Lynn Brown: “The high school administration worked with our students to provide a safe place for them to exercise their First Amendment rights. It is important to note that the students did so in a safe and respectful manner, keeping the focus on our mission.”
The kids took 17 minutes, read a name a minute, and didn’t petition Congress as far as I know.
Sound like Russian Troll farms.
Just to be clear…
Women’s March major funding comes from Planned Parenthood and National Resources Defense Council, with a host of other leftist supportive underlings including Soros-funded MoveOn.org, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, American Federation of Teachers, SEIU, Greenpeace, NAACP, CAIR, and the important Pussyhat Project.
Womans March is headed by:
1) Self-loathing Mari Lynn Bland, who calls herself “Bob” for some reason (“We need to have conversations with other white people in our communities about acknowledging their privilege and the ways that they are racist”)
2) Anti-Semite and islamic terrorist Linda Sour (“You’ll know when you’re living under Shariah law if suddenly all your loans and credit cards become interest-free. Sound nice, doesn’t it?” ).
3) Cop killer loving Tamika Mallory (“The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan just stepped to the mic for #SD16DET… I’m super ready”)
Hmmm… Administration has enacted a policy that applies to the protest.
The West Bend High School student handbook is at:
http://www.west-bend.k12.wi.us/files/user/90/file/Student%20Planner%20HS%202017-18.pdf
Page 4 – Attendance Policy
The following reasons are considered UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:
● TRUANCY – (including skipping an individual class), leaving the closed-campus school any time during the day (including lunch time) without prior office approval, …
Page 7 – Class Cut / Tardy Policy
1st Class Cut Detention