teen punsihed for standing up to bullies

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/28/stormy-rich-florida-high-_n_1551350.html

Stormy Rich, an 18-year-old Florida student, says she was punished after reporting bullying of a special needs student on a school bus, and standing up to those bullies when the school didn't take action.

Rich, an Umatilla High School student, was riding on a middle school bus because she had earned enough credits to avoid a first-period class, getting to school later by taking the bus for the neighboring middle school, the Daily Commercial reports.

But one girl on the bus -- a special needs student -- was regularly being picked on by her peers, but couldn't comprehend what was being done to her.

"Just because she doesn't understand doesn't mean that should be happening to her," Rich told WOFL-TV.

She adds that the peer bullies would tell the girl that she couldn't sit in certain seats on the bus and would force food in her mouth.

"I actually had to tell her to spit it out because she didn't understand," Rich said.

The teen, fed up with their behavior, complained to the bus driver -- but nothing changed. She then complained to a high school official, who told her he would contact the middle school, but like before, the bullying continued.



So Rich decided to take the matter into her own hands by telling the bullies to stop aggravating the girl. The harassment stopped for a little while, but then the bullying students began threatening her, despite her regular complaints to school officials.

In response, the district revoked Rich's bus-riding privileges, saying Rich exhibited bully behavior.

"[The district official] said what I did made me the bully, with me telling the kids that if they didn't stop, and if the school didn't do anything, that I would have to handle it," Rich told the Daily Commercial. "To me, it was just going too far."

District officials are standing behind its response, telling WOFL-TV that two wrongs don't make a right. Rich says she's being punished for adhering to school policy, which calls on students to report any bullying they witness.

Lake County Schools communications officer Christopher Patton told the Daily Commercial that he cannot discuss the bullying complaints or student discipline, adding that this is just "one side of the story. …There are other parents that are involved in this."

Rich's story echoes a number of controversial school decisions made with respect to bullying. In March, Georgia student Essance McDougald said she was suspended for not reporting to Lithonia High School officials that she was being bullied.

In January, Jack Persyn -- also a Georgia student -- was suspended after he self-reported that he had accidentally brought a knife to school. Persyn found the knife in the pocket of his backpack, which had been purchased by his aunt at a yard sale, and neither the student nor his aunt checked the contents of the bag before taking it to school.

 

Further proof that the public education system can't hire people with enough brains (..or edumacation I guess? A little ironic when you think about it) to make adult decisions for children when they need it.

Suspend a student whose getting bullied while revoking privileges for a student standing up to other students for a student who can't.

Our educational system at work, folks.

*throws confetti*

Give those BOE big wigs a raise! Oh..and suspend good students while firing and cutting pay for dedicated teachers who possess common sense to fund it!

Assdouchenozzletwats.

 

Not surprised by the outcome. The way schools are run, children are thrown into the same barrel, there is no such thing as self-defense or a good-hearted child, in the eyes of the school board: all children are no good booger nosed brats. If you were to get into a fight on campus, even if you're assaulted and beaten to a pulp curled up in the fetal position, you'd still get the same punishment as the bully.

 

its sad but the school system is a deep reflection of the real world. especially in this case

 

This is so ridiculous it boggles the mind. Especially further down in the article where a student was suspended for NOT reporting being bullied (chances are, if she had, nothing would've been done -wondering if her bullies were ever disciplined), and the student who did the right thing and told the school he had a pocket knife in his backpack.

This is the way the world is going: get punished for doing the right thing, or failing to do the proper thing (while not doing anything wrong). *smh*

 

yep...damn if you do...damned if you dont

 

Apparently doing the right thing is for chumps. Smh

 

This is so aggravating. How are you supposed to encourage the right behavior in children if they get sanctioned for it?

 

You're not. We are teaching them the winner take all at any expense approach to life. Doing the right thing is for chumps and only the dishonorable are rewarded. Its corporate culture at its finest. Sit back and watch the carnage unfold my friend.

 

I think this is where parents need to make their voices heard. Our job is to raise our children to do right, and then stand up for them when the system wrongs them. I hope the parents of those kids are raising some hell.

 

I'll grab a chair and make some popcorn. This is a damned shame. Smdh

 

I am beginning to see that the age of citizens is almost gone. All that will be left are people who own modes of production. So the old notion of a meritocracy is vastly dying. It wont be about actual hard work and doing an honest days work it will be about how you can manipulate and cheat people out of the little they already have. The worst of human nature is being brought to the surface and until people find the courage to do better its going to get far worst. The next generation or two are going to have incredibly dark days ahead of them because when all we care about is the individual so much that doing the decent thing is widely accepted as the stupid thing then we are royally fucked. Kind of makes me wish people believed in God again. Say what you will but the fear of afterlife retribution made the common man do the right thing. Atheism doesn't offer the same moral doctrine that most people need in order to be decent.

 

Lol you think administrations care anymore? Good one

 

A sense of universal fairness is enough to make me behave most of the time. But you're right about this whole Social Darwinian ethos turning everyone into savages. It is almost like "if you're strong enough to do it, do it".

 

Even your level of pessimism won't deter me from doing right love. I don't care if administrations care...as a mother, if they mess with my children...they're going to hear me!! Why on earth would I teach my children to do right, if I'm not willing to have they're back 100% when they get slapped in the face for doing exactly as they've been taught?! Fuck that. Everyone has to live with their actions TDK, so even if I lose a few battles along the way, I'm ALWAYS going to do right and I'll ALWAYS expect the same of my babies.

 

I know that I'd be raising hell and making everyone's life miserable.

My children became the target a few years ago of a boy with severe ADHD and I felt the school was not performing its duty of care to the best of its ability and trying to placate me with words. They soon took notice when I threaten to sue both the school and the principal if another hair was touched on either if my children's heads.

 

Thank technology mainly the internet for that. We living inin an era where people are so out of touch with actual other humans they don't care how they treat each other.

 

[HDYT]4pvsVHdepsw[/HDYT]

The father, James Willie Jones was forced to apologize.

Here's a meaningful OP on it...

Don't punish dad for defending daughter

Jones is facing two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function. He was released from jail after posting a $2,000 bond.

He was there to defend and protect his 13-year-old daughter, who had been terrorized by real bullies who -- according to what Jones told deputies -- teased his daughter, spat on her, poked her, pushed her, smacked her on the back of her head, twisted her ear and shouted rude comments at her.

They even threw a liquid-filled condom at another girl, and fragments hit Jones' daughter.

According to the sheriff's report, this abuse eventually drove the girl, who has cerebral palsy, to have an emotional breakdown and threaten suicide.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/09/23/navarrette.dad.bullying/index.html

 

School districts are so routinely sued in this country that its all a joke at this point. Teach your kids to do whatever takes to get whatever they want. Its the only way to live at this point. Any other way just leaves you fucked.

 

And after something happens, the parents of those bad-ass kids are the first ones at the scene talking about how their "baby never hurt nobody".