| anti-bullying/self defense clarification; suspended for defending self? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 13 2006, 08:45 PM (2,875 Views) | |
| chickmunk | Nov 13 2006, 08:45 PM Post #1 |
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5th Grade
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This question is for all grade configurations. Will a child be suspended for "fighting" even if he/she is defending him/herself? For example, a child is pushed but should not push back. A child is hit and should run & tell instead of standing up for themselves??? |
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| Iliveon-Levandownbytheriver | Nov 13 2006, 09:05 PM Post #2 |
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Principal
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My son got "ATTACKED" last year at Holmes....by two kids. He did not fight back becuase he was lying on the ground. He is a little guy with major health problems. He did not get in trouble but the other kids didnt get in that much either. Which really pissed me off. All they got was not to go to the Cedar point trip and had to write a letter to my son...which he never got! Wow huh??? And by the way...."attacked" means getting pushed down by one and getting kicked in the back so hard...it left a shoe print! My son never even talked to kids before this even either. I wouldnt want my kid to be beaten up...and not defend himself. So if he got a suspension from defending himself...then so be it. Kids can be so brutal sometimes. |
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| chickmunk | Nov 13 2006, 09:47 PM Post #3 |
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5th Grade
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That's terrible! & exactly what I'm talking about. I am a firm believer in self-defense (but my kids know if they start trouble, it's a different story.) I don't condone violence as a way to solve problems. But I'd rather my kids get suspended than come home with a head injury. I tried looking in the handbook & online, and I actually don't see it written that way (it just says not to cause bodily harm. It doesn't come right out & say you'll be suspended for fighting no matter what, does it? zero tolerance? & if so is this just LPS? State of Michigan Rule? I'd like to get to the bottom of this--my kids are in a large school with many different personalities and most teachers don't know who-is-who. Perfect scenario for a bully to use the system to his/her advantage. |
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| ForMySons | Nov 13 2006, 11:31 PM Post #4 |
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Principal
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Just heard that a girl started a Frost after having been expelled at both Emerson and Holmes this year for fighting. How can this be? |
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| kimmie | Nov 13 2006, 11:56 PM Post #5 |
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Principal
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WOW...I think that if that happened to me and the School Board/Principle did not punish at least by the way of suspension, I probably would have made a report with the police. The punishment that they received was way wrong in my opinion. |
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| loyaltolivonia | Nov 14 2006, 06:51 AM Post #6 |
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Principal
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Is this what they consider "0 Tolerance"??? If they are bad at one Livonia school, send them to another, then another............. |
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| NFarquharson | Nov 14 2006, 07:19 AM Post #7 |
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Principal
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Kind of like they did with this guy? http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../611090538/1027 Educator, coach charged with soliciting minor BY DAN WEST STAFF WRITER A Livonia man who's spent years working with young people has been arrested on allegations he used the Internet to send lewd messages and pictures to an underage boy. Ryan Thomas Fawkes, a 31-year-old teacher and hockey coach, was arraigned Monday in Livonia's 16th District Court with three felony charges: Using a computer to accost and solicit a minor, and two counts of using a computer to disseminate sexually explicit matter to a minor. He was released on bond after paying $5,000 and promising the court he would not use the Internet or have unsupervised contact with minors. A preliminary examination is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. Fawkes works as a seventh-grade teacher at Detroit's Columbus Middle School and serves as midget-level head coach of travel team affiliated with the Plymouth-Canton Hockey Association. Fawkes worked as a Livonia Public Schools' teacher at five elementary schools from 1996-2005. District spokesman Jay Young said Fawkes resigned in April 2005. "In his record as a teacher in our district, there were no allegations of behavior that's similar to the charges of which he's accused," Young said.* Livonia police did not have any run-ins with Fawkes, said Lt. Greg Winn. Monday's charges were the result of an investigation by Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox. According to an attorney general's office press release, an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old boy had several on-line communications with Fawkes from Oct. 3-26. In these communications, investigators said Fawkes solicited the undercover agent for on-line sexual activity. He is also accused of sending lewd Webcam video images of himself and other adult pornographic images to the agent. "It is particularly disturbing when those who are placed in positions of trust are accused of committing sex crimes against children," Cox said. He added parents are encouraged to check their children's Internet "buddy lists" for the screen names Fawkes used, including "Nate Thompson" and "John Olsen." If they believe their child had contact with Fawkes, they should call the attorney general's office at (313) 456-0180. Plymouth-Canton Hockey Association officials met with parents and players of the Plymouth Stingrays midget (ages 15-16) travel hockey team Tuesday night in a lockerroom at the Plymouth Cultural Center, explaining why their coach was suspended Monday from all hockey activities. "We had a team meeting with parents and players, and talked about the situation and moving ahead with the remainder of the coaching staff," said Gordon Bowman of Plymouth Township, the PCHA's director of coaches. "We also offered to get a counselor if the parents feel a need to have counsel or talk with the team." Bowman, who is also vice president of coaches for the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association, said the charges against Fawkes --a PCHA coach for several years -- were an "obvious shock." "He was highly regarded as a coach," said Bowman. "He was respected by players and parents. "When you look at coaches, you look at wins and losses, and he was successful," added Bowman. Staff writer Tony Bruscato contributed to this report. *This is most likely doubletalk for, "There were problems, but we did not document them in the employee's record." |
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| Mrs.M | Nov 14 2006, 07:27 AM Post #8 |
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Principal
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If he worked for the district fom 96-05 he would have had tenure. Interesting comment "there were no allegations of behavior that's similar to the charges of which he's accused," I wonder if there were other allegations at the schools he did work at including but not limited to: McKinley and Garfield |
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| JoJo | Nov 14 2006, 07:32 AM Post #9 |
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Principal
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For some reason he left Garfield before the end of the school year?? Another teacher took his place. |
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| one_observer | Nov 14 2006, 07:48 AM Post #10 |
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Principal
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Common practice to put a student in the least restrictive environment. The thought is to change the environment and maybe that will correct the situation. A few years ago the district moved two male 7/8 Holmes students and sent one to Riley and one to Frost. They ended up together though in high school. I'm sure the district evaluates each student and situation. Of course these moves stay hushed for obvious reasons. |
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| ktmom | Nov 14 2006, 08:32 AM Post #11 |
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Principal
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This guy was also at Roosevelt. |
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| Iliveon-Levandownbytheriver | Nov 14 2006, 09:54 AM Post #12 |
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Principal
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I was very close to filling a police report. Violence of any kind....name calling, pushing, bullying..etc should not be allowed in any way shape or form in schools. In our old middle school (Redford) if you got caught calling someone a name...you got sent to the principle...and then if you did it again...you got an inschool suspension. ZERO TOLERANCE! I think in large schools....you need that firmly in place. Especially at that age. |
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| chickmunk | Nov 14 2006, 12:44 PM Post #13 |
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5th Grade
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Respectfully giving my opinion here: Actually, I don't think zero tolerance is working, because it doesn't give the victims a voice. (The only voice seems to be the one that "tells" on the bully. Zero tolerance makes some victims afraid to stand up for themselves--as if they're "participating" in a fight instead of defending themselves.) And if a child is verbally trying to stand up to a bully, he/she can also be accused of teasing and harrassing. Street-wise bullies know how to antagonize people & manipulate the system to get other kids in trouble. Administration doesn't care about the details, and zero tolerance seems to benefit them (administation) the most. And now to find out some bullies are moved from school-to-school is an interesting twist... |
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| concerned mom | Nov 14 2006, 01:14 PM Post #14 |
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Principal
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I find the wording in that statement very troubling, particularily the use of "similiar." Just why did he resign from Garfield in the middle of a school year? |
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| Snowman2 | Nov 14 2006, 04:04 PM Post #15 |
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4th Grade
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That really stinks. It is bad enough what happened to your son and the people you trust with your child during school hours did nothing to protect him. That makes me sick! I tell my son he is not allowed to start trouble, but if trouble comes his way he has my blessing to defend himself. Me and my husband will deal with the principal. Those kids who get picked on have every right to fight back. Just my opinion. |
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