Students suspended for skipping gym class to meet Obama

[Cobra]

Schools are always harsh about stuff like this. Everything must be preapproved and silver stamped by the admistration before hand. They wouldn't have let them leave impromptu like that no matter what they say now.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080423/ap_on_el_pr/election_suspension

SCRANTON, Pa. - Two high school seniors in Scranton, Pa., are paying a high price for their interest in politics.

Colin Saltry and Joey Daniel say they skipped gym class on Monday to rush over to a diner where Sen. Barack Obama's motorcade had just pulled in for an impromptu breakfast stop.

The two met Obama, and they say he even signed excuse slips for them to show their teachers. That didn't work. Saltry and Daniel got one-day suspensions for leaving school grounds, and Saltry has been ordered to resign as senior class president.

Saltry says it was worth being suspended to meet Obama, but he didn't expect to be bounced from his class presidency.

Assistant Superintendent William King says the rules are clear, and adds that if the students had approached a teacher about wanting to leave campus, they probably would have been given permission.

[Drocket]

The suspensions are fair, IMO, but I think forcing the kid to resign as class president is rather excessive.

[Buck Laser]

I'm not sure the suspensions were fair, but I'd have skipped class to go hear Obama. In fact, in 1952, when I was a senior in high school, I cut classes on more than one occasion to go hear candidates. I didn't get gigged, but if I had, I would have figured it was worth it. I admire kids who take responsibility for their own actions.

[micfranklin]

I don't get why you suspend people for skipping class, by suspending them you're kinda let them legally cut class anyway. That said I'd have done it to meet Obama without thinking twice.

[lawless168]

Or just follow the rules and ask to be excused to see obama, and this wouldn’t even be in the news...

[Cobra]

They most likely wouldn't have been excused then in even more trouble if they'd skipped out after being forbidden to go.

[lily]

Colin Saltry and Joey Daniel say they skipped gym class on Monday to rush over to a diner where Sen. Barack Obama's motorcade had just pulled in for an impromptu breakfast stop.

SOunds like about the same amount of exercise they would have got in gym class.:lmao:

[dgun]

Suspension for skipping school? Hell, it ought to be a requirement for every kid to play hooky at least 4 or 5 times a year. What, is the school administration afraid the kiddies will miss too much indoctrination from the 'man'?

0v6rPpSu7No

'You best sing this damn song'

[DamnYankee]

I wouldn't cut class for any politician.

[Troubadour]

Schools are always harsh about stuff like this. Everything must be preapproved and silver stamped by the admistration before hand. They wouldn't have let them leave impromptu like that no matter what they say now.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080423/ap_on_el_pr/election_suspension

This is one of those strange situations where (almost) everybody's right. The kids should be free in their hearts, and take off when a remarkable opportunity occurs even if it means losing some privileges later; but they should also recognize that the school is liable for knowing their whereabouts, and that they might needlessly cause people to worry. My only "whaaa?" moment is the part about the one kid being forced to resign as class president - unless there's an "oath of office" involving a promise to obey all school rules, I don't see the connection. Speeding is a much worse, more immoral behavior than going somewhere without telling people, because you place people in danger when you break traffic laws, but we do not ask elected officials or even traffic court judges to resign because of speeding tickets. The kid made a leaderly decision - he decided that meeting the next President of the United States was more worthwhile than listening to some steakhead bark at him to hustle and do pushups. He's got real priorities - good for you, tiger. Don't let authoritarian robots cramp your style.

[Pookie]

They probably didn't ask to be excused from class to meet Obama because they might have thought they would be told "No."
And the class president being asked to resign? WTF? The kid is CLASS PRESIDENT! He's getting his feet wet in politics already, and they want to bounce him out because he went to see a politician?
That idiocy is mind-boggling.
Purrs,
Pookie

[Truth_and_Power]

There's nothing that the colossal failures in life that most teachers are hate more than motivated, independent kids.

[micfranklin]

"Fuck you school, I'm going to see Obama!"

That would be my initial reaction.

[Osborn F. Enready]

I always viewed suspension as a vacation......

[4Reaganomics]

I never really understood the premise either

If you make a minor mishap, you have to stay at school longer (Detention)

but if you make a major mishap then you get to go home and watch television (Suspension)


Sounds like a terrible system to me

[Elrathin]

but if you make a major mishap then you get to go home and watch television (Suspension)

In-school suspension is the way to go. Isolated from the other kids, but forced to do extra supervised school work.

[Truth_and_Power]

In-school suspension is the way to go. Isolated from the other kids, but forced to do extra supervised school work.

Yes, in that case it's only a suspension from learning rather than an opportunity to veg at home. So you send a Kid with a 3.7 out of his honors classes to go do some menial work while the general 9th grade engilsh teacher (football coach) supervises you.

Translation: Deaden the soul of any kid independent enough to make intelligent decisions. This is how we raise the next generation of mindless bureaucrats.

[Elrathin]

Yes, in that case it's only a suspension from learning rather than an opportunity to veg at home.

It's called a punishment, noone forced these kids to do what they did.


So you send a Kid with a 3.7 out of his honors classes to go do some menial work while the general 9th grade engilsh teacher (football coach) supervises you.

If they break a rule that warrants a suspension, then yes. Better than sending them home on a vacation for their punishment.



Translation: Deaden the soul of any kid independent enough to make intelligent decisions. This is how we raise the next generation of mindless bureaucrats.

Translation: Let kids break what ever rules they want as long as they have a 3.5+ grade point average.

Yep you are training the next politicians there that think they are above the law.

[lawless168]

They most likely wouldn't have been excused then in even more trouble if they'd skipped out after being forbidden to go. The school already said all they had to do was ask to be excused to see him and it would have been granted.

[Elrathin]

The school already said all they had to do was ask to be excused to see him and it would have been granted.

The school said this AFTER the fact, not beforehand.

Tell me, when have you known a school to approve students to ditch for some event without parents permission? And if they had their parents permission they wouldn't have been suspended in the first place as that is an excused absence.

I haven't heard of any schools that would let a student just miss school because of an event.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think these students shouldn't be punished, but I am under no delusion that the school would have excused it if the students asked either.

[Cobra]

Yeah after the fact, they would have had to skip all day and then use a parent excuse for an entire day missed for it to work. The school is still liable for you if you leave school grounds with "their" permission. Parent excuse doesn't normally let you leave on your own. Your parents hafta sign you out, basically the school sign you over to them in person so their not liable first. Parents would have had to take off work, ect.

[Professor]

I don't think it would have been granted. Remember all the inner city kids who wanted ditch for the May Day rallies?

I think everyone is right, except making him resign. Of course, he could always have a little fun and refuse to do it, rally the student body into not nominating another person, ect.

I would save that slip Obama signed though. And someday when this kid runs for office, it is going to make a great story.

[preservanation]

Getting bounced is probably the best thing to happen to that kid...if he works hard in America and follows his principals the last thing he needs is to be brought down be the indoctrination of the govt school system.
The sooner he gets out of that donkey farm the better.

[Pookie]

Pres, this is a KID. Don't start with all this. He's already dealing with too much.
Pookie

[PostmodernProphet]

I'm trying to figure out what the problem is.....it's spring.....they got out of not just one, but two days of school......he's out as class president, but he is probably ten times more popular with his fellow students than he has ever been......he's gotten national publicity......for a high school kid, he's golden......

[Cobra]

Well it would matter if you were going for validictorian or such. Those days missed you aren't allowed to make up the work and hafta take 0s.

[PostmodernProphet]

I think everyone is right, except making him resign. Of course, he could always have a little fun and refuse to do it, rally the student body into not nominating another person, ect. .

they have like what, three weeks of school left?.....do you really think they will bother?.....

[Cobra]

Sigh, I still have 4 and 1/2 and have been skipping a lot of school lately. No ones noticed yet..........

[PostmodernProphet]

Well it would matter if you were going for validictorian or such. Those days missed you aren't allowed to make up the work and hafta take 0s.

so, if out of five days of school, one day you have a test, and they decide that is the day you are suspended, you get a 0 for the test?......

[Cobra]

Yep.....luck of the draw on stuff like that. Works the same way as an unexcused absence.

[Troubadour]

"Fuck you school, I'm going to see Obama!"

That would be my initial reaction.

More like, "I think I'll go learn something from the real school beyond these walls."

In-school suspension is the way to go. Isolated from the other kids, but forced to do extra supervised school work.

Peer discipline - put the kids into groups and make them responsible for each other academically and behaviorally. Pass/Fail requirement every semester. Anyone in the group fails or screws up too often, the group has to defend itself at the end of the semester and show what it did to correct the situation.

I'm trying to figure out what the problem is.....it's spring.....they got out of not just one, but two days of school......he's out as class president, but he is probably ten times more popular with his fellow students than he has ever been......he's gotten national publicity......for a high school kid, he's golden......

Absolutely. All he has to do is put this story and a news clipping in his application essay, and he's in like Flynn. Admissions boards are a lot more impressed with real individuality and leadership than institutional "achievements" like class president.

[PostmodernProphet]

Admissions boards are a lot more impressed with real individuality and leadership than institutional "achievements" like class president.

not to mention he has that as well....."well, I WAS class president, but it was stripped from me because I took an opportunity to hear Obama speak in person"........"Yes sir, I AM willing to accept your scholarship"........

[micfranklin]

Wait, how would this story be different if it was McCain or Clinton that they decided to meet?

[4Reaganomics]

well then they'd be going to meet someone who loves and roots for America

it would be an entirely different story

[micfranklin]

That's pretty false.

[4Reaganomics]

Preacher says "God D*** America"
Doesn't where the flag
Personal friend sets bombs and kills Americans
Wife isn't proud of America and calls it a mean country
puts hand in pockets during the pledge
preacher and church engage in conspiracy theories again U.S. gov't
calls Americans "bitter" from an economic standpoint if they have guns and religion


hmmmm.... Yeah, he sounds like a guy right from the heartland

[Troubadour]

Wait, how would this story be different if it was McCain or Clinton that they decided to meet?

The kids wouldn't have been punished if it was McCain - he is the candidate of, by, and for authoritarianism, and certainly dear to the hearts of vice-principals throughout America. And Clinton...I have no idea, because I can't imagine anyone going out of their way to see her, let alone if they're under age 50. If they'd said they had gone off to see Clinton, they probably would have been punished even more for lying. "We went to see Hillary!" "Sure, sure. You went for the entitled mediocrity, and stayed to watch the grass grow. I'm calling your parents."

[Truth_and_Power]

Translation: Let kids break what ever rules they want as long as they have a 3.5+ grade point average.

Yep you are training the next politicians there that think they are above the law.

I'm struggling to find the victim in this scenario. It's not the kid, they are doing find in school.. other than the punishment. I wholeheartedly support rule breakers.. that's how progress is made.

[micfranklin]

Preacher says "God D*** America"

We're talking about Obama, not his preacher. Take that up with Wright.

Doesn't where the flag

Didn't know that was a requirement to love America.

Personal friend sets bombs and kills Americans

What friend would that be?

Wife isn't proud of America and calls it a mean country

Well maybe it's the truth and again, take it up with his wife and not stick his name in it. We're talking about Obama.

puts hand in pockets during the pledge

Because only people who ahet and wish death on America do that.

preacher and church engage in conspiracy theories again U.S. gov't

TAKE IT UP WITH WRIGHT.

calls Americans "bitter" from an economic standpoint if they have guns and religion

That's called constructive criticism.

If you don't like Obama because he's black and has different views, that's one thing but it's a good idea to stop being a motherfucker and start looking at things from a non-biased regular point of view, like most decent people on this forum.

[4Reaganomics]

I question his patriotism and I am allowed to do so.

That personal friend who killed Americans was William Ayers of the Weathermen, a terrorist organization that set bombs circa 1970 on American buildings such as the pentagon, the capitol, and police headquarters in NYC

[Elrathin]

I question his patriotism and I am allowed to do so.

Sorry but anyone who thinks Patriotism is worn, has deeper issues with themselves IMO.

That personal friend who killed Americans was William Ayers of the Weathermen, a terrorist organization that set bombs circa 1970 on American buildings such as the pentagon, the capitol, and police headquarters in NYC

Personal friend? So is this a guy Obama goes golfing with on a daily basis or something? Ayers doesn't sound like a personal friend to me. I think you are again over exaggerating their friendship to bash Obama. Not surprised, since there are many on the right still parroting that he is a Muslim.

The right's only chance at this election is for them to use fear mongering and smearing. They have NOTHING else to go on.

[4Reaganomics]

oh yeah, Obama has a ton to go on

that extensive record of success he has had

[micfranklin]

I question his patriotism and I am allowed to do so.

You're questioning his patriotism because he doesn't do it to your liking? Or are you looking for an excuse to question it?

That personal friend who killed Americans was William Ayers of the Weathermen, a terrorist organization that set bombs circa 1970 on American buildings such as the pentagon, the capitol, and police headquarters in NYC

Funny, all I can pick up is that he served on the same board as Obama for 3 years.

[4Reaganomics]

Obama's campaign called their relationship a friendly one. Obama also gave speeches with im and Ayers had campaign event for Obama at his personal home. Their kids go to the same school and they live in the same neighborhood. There is much more in terms of connections, the fact that you could only find the board is sad.

Also I am questioning his patriotism because I personally don't believe patriots befriend closely bigot pastors and terrorists who wish more Americans would have died.