Thread for Things That Made You Frown Today

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03-22-2013, 04:13 PM
subzero

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rucca

Ugh. So I received an email today from the assistant vice principle of my child's school, saying my child is being punished for telling a story to a couple other student's about a teacher. Granted it wasn't a nice story, and it was in a joking manner...but it was OUTSIDE of school. One of the kids decided to tell that certain teacher what was said because he assumed it was true. Yeah okay...sounds like a little rat to me. Anyway, the teacher is angry and now there will be some kind of consequence for my child after spring break. I had a talk with my daughter telling her it's not cool to talk about anyone like that, and how would she feel if someone did the same about her...rumors and all...but goddamn. Is it really right to punish a kid for something said at a friend's house, and then told by a little tattle tail? I don't recall this shit ever happening back when I went to school.

Welcome to our new hyper-sensitive world of pussies where everyone is a winner and no feelings are allowed to be hurt, ever. Hell, I heard a couple weeks ago that some kid got suspended for stopping some other kid with a gun. Bunch of fucking idiots...

"Student suspended after disarming gunman? That is the report out of Fort Myers, FL. The student disarmed a gunman by wrestling with him and according to a report from Sunday (March 3) got suspended for his participation in the event.

Apparently the 16-year-old Florida high school student saw a teen threatening to fire a gun on a school bus and he sprang into action. He tackled the kid, got the gun away from him, and basically became a hero in the process. This hero stated that, "I think he was really going to shoot him right then and there."

Despite possibly saving the lives of people on that school bus, the student got suspended after disarming the gunman."

http://www.examiner.com/article/stud...t-stops-gunman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gompers

First of all - that is absurd. I can understand something posted on social media getting her in trouble, but a joke between friends? Ridiculous. Find out who she told the story to and make sure she never talks to those little tattle tails again.

You can't suspend kids for shit they say outside of school any more than they could suspend some kids for getting into a fight once they've left. Social media has nothing to do with it. If the kid is saying something criminal, that's another story, but I still don't see where the school would have the right to suspend a student for something like that.
03-22-2013, 04:23 PM
subzero

Quote:

Originally Posted by msconstrew

Second, saying something to only ONE other person can be grounds for a defamation claim, so untrue gossip affecting a teacher's reputation (even if only said to a group of friends) could be a big deal. What if it was a male teacher and she called him a pedophile? Sounds like fun, right?

You don't REALLY think you could prove damages caused by these children, do you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delias

If the spitting as opposed to swallowing happened to be true... well, I was under the impression that truth was an absolute defense against defamation.

It is. This is not something she'd want in a courtroom, I'm guessing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by diethx

Delias said that because he had never played golf, he had no way of understanding that a ball was very close to getting in the hole and why it was a good shot. And it was a retarded statement.

You might even say it was par for the course!
03-22-2013, 06:07 PM
Latrinsorm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rucca

Ugh. So I received an email today from the assistant vice principle of my child's school, saying my child is being punished for telling a story to a couple other student's about a teacher. Granted it wasn't a nice story, and it was in a joking manner...but it was OUTSIDE of school. One of the kids decided to tell that certain teacher what was said because he assumed it was true. Yeah okay...sounds like a little rat to me. Anyway, the teacher is angry and now there will be some kind of consequence for my child after spring break. I had a talk with my daughter telling her it's not cool to talk about anyone like that, and how would she feel if someone did the same about her...rumors and all...but goddamn. Is it really right to punish a kid for something said at a friend's house, and then told by a little tattle tail? I don't recall this shit ever happening back when I went to school.

I had that happen to me and had a big old post written but diethx already said everything I was going to so high fives all around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryvicke

Technically if someone wants to solve all my misunderstandings from not reading the PC for 18 months, I also don't understand the Delias "bike/golf" picture or why errone b mad at Rojo.

I explained the latter to you, you jackanapes!! :(

Quote:

Originally Posted by subzero

http://www.examiner.com/article/stud...t-stops-gunman

The school principal, however, was clearly upset by the negative attention directed at her and Cypress Lake High School in Ft. Myers. “I just wish people would use common sense and realize there is MUCH more to the story,” Principal Tracy Perkins stated in an e-mail to an individual who criticized the suspension, adding that, by law, she was not allowed to disclose all the details of what transpired. “I agree that it would be ABSOLUTELY ABSURD to punish a student for doing something heroic.”

http://www.thenewamerican.com/cultur...sarmed-suspect
03-22-2013, 06:17 PM
subzero

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latrinsorm

The school principal, however, was clearly upset by the negative attention directed at her and Cypress Lake High School in Ft. Myers. “I just wish people would use common sense and realize there is MUCH more to the story,” Principal Tracy Perkins stated in an e-mail to an individual who criticized the suspension, adding that, by law, she was not allowed to disclose all the details of what transpired. “I agree that it would be ABSOLUTELY ABSURD to punish a student for doing something heroic.”

http://www.thenewamerican.com/cultur...sarmed-suspect

I'd like to hear these details. To me, it sounds like they're covering their ass. When I was in school, they were starting to get to the point where if you were involved in a fight in any way, you were suspended, end of story. Made no difference if someone just walked up and socked you in the face, how many saw it, etc. This seems like an extension of that sort of policy. Then there's the whole liability aspect of things where they might feel they can't promote or encourage that sort of action from students. Without these other details, I have a hard time seeing anything but CYA here.
03-22-2013, 06:18 PM
msconstrew

Quote:

Originally Posted by subzero

You don't REALLY think you could prove damages caused by these children, do you?

Do I think so? Probably not. But don't get self righteous at the idea that children's gossip could, and has, caused actionable damage to a teacher.

I was involved in a case where a student said something of a sexual nature about a teacher. Teacher was suspended pending an investigation. Turned out not to be true. But the teacher ended up leaving the school because of the gossip and the parents' "feelings" about the teacher.

Teacher sued student for the gossip and had actionable damages, and we settled the case.

I don't know what Rucca's kid said. It was of a sexual nature. Depending on the statement, I definitely think there could be damages.
03-22-2013, 06:32 PM
Bobmuhthol

I'm not going to read the apparently 75 posts about Rucca's daughter being suspended for a day, but holy shit, just fucking accept the fuck that your daughter got suspended for a day.
03-22-2013, 07:08 PM
Latrinsorm

Quote:

Originally Posted by subzero

I'd like to hear these details. To me, it sounds like they're covering their ass. When I was in school, they were starting to get to the point where if you were involved in a fight in any way, you were suspended, end of story. Made no difference if someone just walked up and socked you in the face, how many saw it, etc. This seems like an extension of that sort of policy. Then there's the whole liability aspect of things where they might feel they can't promote or encourage that sort of action from students. Without these other details, I have a hard time seeing anything but CYA here.

But you're only going off what the kid (and his big city lawyer) said to start with, no? 16 year old kids are surely just as liable to engage CYA mode as schoolmarms.
03-22-2013, 07:59 PM
subzero

Quote:

Originally Posted by msconstrew

Do I think so? Probably not. But don't get self righteous at the idea that children's gossip could, and has, caused actionable damage to a teacher.

I was involved in a case where a student said something of a sexual nature about a teacher. Teacher was suspended pending an investigation. Turned out not to be true. But the teacher ended up leaving the school because of the gossip and the parents' "feelings" about the teacher.

Teacher sued student for the gossip and had actionable damages, and we settled the case.

I don't know what Rucca's kid said. It was of a sexual nature. Depending on the statement, I definitely think there could be damages.

Since the teacher was suspended for the investigation, I'm assuming the things said about the teacher were of a criminal nature (sex with students, inappropriate touch/words, etc). Comments made about her personal life and/or sexuality shouldn't warrant her being suspended for an investigation. Obviously if the comments were alluding to something criminal that is something you can't walk around telling people without knowing the truth of the matter. I mentioned earlier that something along those lines is completely different from a child spouting off dumb shit, even if it happens to be crude, inappropriate, or inaccurate.

We've been told what was said in the nature of a 'spit or swallow' comment. I just don't see how, barring accusations of sexual relations with a student (dog, donkey, or whatever else you can do illegally with a mouth and penis), anything like that coming from a kid could even be taken seriously enough to warrant damages. No one should expect the kid to have any clue as to the truth of the statement, kids lie, talk about things they don't understand because they heard it elsewhere, have imaginary friends, etc. Even if the kid said she was a cum guzzling whore that loves to swallow big-gulp sized loads, she'd have to prove it was said with malicious intent to defame or slander as opposed to the ignorant opinion of a child, would she not? I could see a problem if they were to photoshop a picture of her depicting that act and post it on Facebook or something, though.

The real issue here, though, is that the school shouldn't have the authority to suspend a child for what they do outside of school. It's just not their realm in the same way it's not Bloomberg's responsibility to ban portion sizes he thinks are detrimental to people.

Quote:

But you're only going off what the kid (and his big city lawyer) said to start with, no? 16 year old kids are surely just as liable to engage CYA mode as schoolmarms.

That's apparently all we've got, isn't it? I'm open to hearing the other side. Until then...
03-22-2013, 08:02 PM
msconstrew

Quote:

Originally Posted by subzero

Even if the kid said she was a cum guzzling whore that loves to swallow big-gulp sized loads, she'd have to prove it was said with malicious intent to defame or slander as opposed to the ignorant opinion of a child, would she not?

Intent is not necessary. Negligence is sufficient.
03-22-2013, 08:08 PM
subzero

Quote:

Originally Posted by msconstrew

Intent is not necessary. Negligence is sufficient.

Interesting. There was a recent defamation lawsuit between radio DJs and they seemed pretty keen on intent during that trial. As to negligence, wouldn't that be pretty hard to pin on a minor? I don't know how old Rucca's kid is, but I'm guessing she's not in high school.