ACLU defends New York students suspended for protesting budget cuts

[cory777]

Source: Raw Story

The New York American Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) has criticized the Central Islip School District's decision to suspend students who participated in a peaceful protest against proposed budget cuts.

In a letter to Superintendent Craig Carr on Tuesday, the NYCLU said the suspensions sent the message that free speech is unimportant and discouraged civic participation.

More than 100 seventh and eighth students from Ralph J. Reed Middle School received one-day suspensions after walking out of their classes and marching to the district offices. They joined hundreds of students and teachers from across New York state who protested against Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed state budget plan, which includes $1.2 billion in cuts to education spending.

"The students’ walkout was a powerful demonstration of political speech," Director of the NYCLU's Suffolk County Chapter Amol Sinha said. "As an important exercise of students’ First Amendment rights, it was a vivid and entirely valid civics lesson. These students should be praised for their idealism, not punished by being suspended from school."

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/20/aclu-defends-students-suspended-for-protesting-budget-cuts/

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[Occulus]

1. you're about to be told by several "progressive" "liberal" DUers that they deserved the suspension.

Hope you have your arguments ready.

[joeglow3]

3. I agree with the decision

There is a consequence for your actions and their decision to make the choice they made knowing the consequences demonstrates their convictions and brings more attention to the issue. I commend them.

[w4rma]

4. As long as it's not you who has to make the sacrifice, right? (nt)

[joeglow3]

5. Ummm, why?

If you open up this door, how do you draw the line? When a kid not cut school and claim their freedom of speech is being violated? There is a price to pay.

That said, sometimes in life, you have to be willing to take the consequences for what you know is right? Is it a violation of a worker's rights to not pay them when they are going on strike? Of course not. However, you take the consequences knowing that the good you are standing up for is much greater than the consequences you face. I applaud the kids and hope they learn that while there may be consequences for what they did, they did the right thing.

[Occulus]

7. It is *exactly* attitudes like yours that will discourage some of them

Even if you think they deserve to be suspended, it is far better to not express that sentiment. We need this sort of activism, and they need people backing them up, telling them they were in the right, the suspension is undeserved, and to keep fighting. Hearing an adult saying they "deserve the punishment" will definitely discourage some of them from ever doing anything like this again.

And, before you respond, consider the bullied kid who fights back and gets expelled. Would that bullied kid ever fight back against a bully again if the kid knows the adults around him will support him being punished for simply defending himself?

And yes, I KNOW that's not the same situation, but it is the same reaction from the adults around him.

[joeglow3]

8. How do you define when a kid can skip school?

[Occulus]

9. Are you using the editorial 'you', or the personal 'you'?

Knowing that will definitely affect my response.

[joeglow3]

10. I am asking YOU.

Clearly, we agree with what the kids were doing. Thus, the easy way out is to say they should let kids skip school without consequences. However, once that door is opened, how do YOU stop school administrators from doing this for tea bagging events? This is WAY to open to abuse by the thugs.

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

[Downwinder]

6. Do the suspensions affect funds the district receives from the State?

[Zorra]

11. The ACLU rocks. So glad that they are there for us. nt