Why don't more kids protest? High-schoolers face expulsion--for singing Kumbaya.

[pnwmom]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mortonprotest_09nov09,1,7050657.story

Parents, activists, rip School Board

Anti-war and free-speech advocates joined angry parents and students in their battle with Berwyn school district officials who may expel a group of students who took part in an Iraq war protest at a school last week.

The lunchtime protest Nov. 1 in the Morton West High School cafeteria was viewed as a peaceful sit-in by students, but school officials charged two dozen of them with "gross disobedience and mob activity," which call for suspensions and possible expulsions.

SNIP

Some parents got emotional, telling board members how proud they are of their children for taking a stand and protesting. "I love you so much," said one mother, in tears, to her daughter.

District 201 Supt. Ben Nowakowski started reading a statement, which drew boos. Board President Jeffry Pesek told the audience not to be disrespectful to Nowakowski and said the meeting would be held up if they continued to yell.

SNIP

"We weren't violent in any way," said Jonathon Acevedo, a student who faces expulsion. "We were holding hands and singing 'Kumbaya' and the song 'Give Peace a Chance.'"

Acevedo's aunt Gladys Hansen-Guerra said her nephew, a musician, is being singled out because he's an average student and a Latino. "The administration is giving harder punishments to students who won't tell them who organized the protest," Hansen-Guerra said. "It was a group effort. They are trying to offer leniency to those who point out the organizers. This isn't a fascist state. aren't the CIA. These are 16-year-old kids."

SNIP

[99th_Monkey]

1. wow. that's way cool & a bit creepy too. but thanks for the post.

shows how far we have to go to regain freedom of speech in this country when a school board gets that
freaked out by a simple gesture like that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. And it shows why we need to keep paying our dues to those who protect

freedom of speech.

Perhaps it is time to go back to school and get the law degree and go work for the ACLU

Yes this battlefield takes many forms

[pnwmom]

6. My 8th grader nagged me until I got us both ACLU memberships last year.

I had no reason not to, it was just not at the top of my list. But he finally put it there.

[pnwmom]

5. I think that institutional power has gotten more rigid and overreaching

than ever, in the decades since the Vietnam protests.

Just in recent weeks, there have been girls being suspended for putting an arm around another girl's shoulder (no "PDA's" allowed); other girls not allowed to carry purses for their tampons (in case the purses contained weapons). How many crazy principals are out there?

And now this. I'm glad to see the parents have gotten involved.

[99th_Monkey]

11. Maybe I'm living in an Oregon "bubble of Lefties" but when my kids were in school

This would not, could not, have happened like this. Such a student "protest" would have gone on, and been respected as a legitimate exercise of civic responsibility ... But then, that was like almost 10 years ago, so there's that too.

[pnwmom]

14. I think "terror" has been the rationalization for lots of schools to clamp down.

But I hope your area doesn't.

[Der Blaue Engel]

2. There are many subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which the right to assemble

and freedom of speech is being discouraged by the powers that be, not the least of which is the corporate media's refusal to give any coverage to the many protests that do happen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. And this is a clasic in a fascist shift

fo the knee jerkers... this is a technical term.

[pnwmom]

7. That's why I wanted to put this one out there.

It has received little coverage though -- only 3 hits on google news when I looked.

[lostnfound]

8. America has handed away so many of its freedoms in name of "education"

Like frogs being acclimated to water, students are systematically acclimatized to a culture of obedience, subservience, and conformity.
Good for the corporate economy and for the security state; bad for democracy and bad for humanity.

[pnwmom]

10. I'm afraid that is a description, more and more of the public schools.

Which is why I support them with "yes" votes on school levies -- most kids have few alternatives -- but I stopped subjecting my own children to them.

[lostnfound]

9. self delete nt

[lligrd]

12. Mob Activity???

I thought that meant lynchings or mob hits.

[pnwmom]

13. Apparently at this school it means holding hands and singing. n/t

[Beerboy]

15. How about expel the school board?

This is complete bullshit that students are facing expulsion by what the adults perceive to be 'political'.
If a school board can be impeached, I hope it's 201.

[The Straight Story]

16. Kumbaya has religious undertones ya know, dangerous stuff in schools

:rofl:

Interesting article thanks for posting it!

[Swamp Rat]

17. k&r

[gollygee]

18. Another thing to add to my list of "if my district did this, I'd homeschool"

Fascists. No way would I keep my daughter in that environment.

[DCKit]

19. And the facists come out of the woodwork....

The school officials need to be grilled on their understanding and interpretation of the Constitution. You know, the one they're supposed to be teaching these same kids.

The example that this government has set is allowing every thug in a position of authority to believe they can abuse their authority under the guise of Homeland Security.

[Sentath]

29. Not that I agree...

But I have to say that my first reaction to your post is to pull a poker face and shrug, "I hate to tell you but it went to the Supreme Court in the '80s. Students Do Not have the right of freedom of speech."

[Sugar Smack]

20. Why didn't they just taze the kids and get it over with?

Cut 'em off at the pass. Make sure they don't become a dangerous menace to society?:sarcasm:



:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[Beerboy]

25. Hey! Ease-up on the tasers!

Just the kids that are smoking! :smoke:

[Clark2008]

21. Gasp! You mean this was not in a "red state"?

:eyes:

Sorry - had to make a point that stupid shit happens EVERY WHERE.

[Sugar Smack]

22. Have I told you lately that I love you?

:loveya: :yourock: :applause:

[truedelphi]

27. Some of the suburbs in the Chicago Land area are extremely red

Luckily Chicago's population makes up for it.

[SoCalDem]

23. They just had the wrong "message"

Signs like these would probably have gotten them a standing ovation and an extra 50 points for their SAT

[LanternWaste]

24. Well, the song does have fundamentally religious overtones

Well, the song does have fundamentally religious overtones (written by a Reverend, I believe). We certainly can't have the kids singing religious songs at school, now can we? If those kids had just left it at the secularism of Lennon, they may have gotten away with it...

:sarcasm:

[IDemo]

26. Join Cindy Sheehan and others who are petitioning against explusion for these students

http://www.petitiononline.com/mortonw/

To: Morton West School District

In Defense of the Morton West Antiwar Students

We are writing in defense of the students who now face excessive disciplinary actions at the hands of various Morton West school administrators. Our sympathies lie with the courageous and moral struggle that the students have taken up, and with their parents who still support them. The struggle for a peaceful and just society absent of war should not be met with punishment, but should be supported by the community as a whole, especially from within the educational setting. Furthermore, It is our firm belief that an injury to freedom for students anywhere is an injury to freedom for students everywhere. This is why we urge all Morton West administrators to drop all disciplinary action against the said students, and to remove any indications of said events from their permanent records. We urge you to respect these students right to free expression now and in the future.

(Written by Columbia College Chicago Students for a Democratic Society)

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

-------------------------------------------------------------

Read Arthur Silber on Morton West here

[ClayZ]

28. K&R