NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #26/NN_1992_26.iso/spool/alt/comp/acadfre/talk/3340

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-05 | 3.2 KB

Xref: sparky alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk:3340 comp.admin.policy:1473
Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk,comp.admin.policy
Path: sparky!uunet!portal!kdenning
From: [e-mail] (Karl Denninger)
Subject: Re: Preventing Sexual Harassment?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Summary: More on school harassment
Organization: VideOcart Inc.
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 16:58:04 GMT
Lines: 56

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Wes Morgan) writes:
>[e-mail] (Richard Childers) wrote:
>>[e-mail] (Wes Morgan) writes:
>>
>>>    "In Petaluma, Calif., eighth grader Tawnya Brawdy had to run a gant-
>>>     let of boys gathered outside her school who would begin mooing
>>>     as she approached. [...] The US Department of Education found, in a
>>>     211-page report, that the schools had failed to protect her."
>>>
>>Good for her.
>
>Is it really good for her?  I'll discuss that a bit later......

....

>I guess that I look at things a bit differently than these parents.  I can
>remember having problems with a few classmates, thanks to my size (currently
>6'5" and 285 lbs.).  When the school's efforts failed, my parents sat
>down with the parents of the other kids involved; the matter was dealt with,
>and neither the school administration nor the judicial system had to be in-
>volved.  I think we've all seen similar situations handled in the same man-
>ner.  I consider such things as part of "parental responsibility".

I feel differently.

I believe that since a student in this country is >required< to attend
school until age 16, the school therefore has a responsibility to protect
students against this kind (or any other kind) of harassment.

I was a victim of several raucous students in my primary and early secondary
school years.  The school was NOT interested in suspending or expelling these
students who were the instigators of these offenses.  They quite frankly did
not care.  The staff and faculty was certainly aware of the problem -- but
they just decided not to act -- despite repeated complaints on my part.

If I had been an adult these "kids" would have been brought up on assault
and battery charges, and in some cases aggrevated battery.  Some of them would
have undoubtably done time in jail.  But since they were "kids" this didn't
happen -- NOR WERE THEY STOPPED.

If you're going to require kids to attend a school, and force them to attend
a particular school at that (ie: no "choice") then it is incumbent on the
administration and staff of that school to maintain order.  Those who offend
against that order should and must be removed.

I applaud the lawsuit and its result.  I would look favorably on the
extension of these lawsuits to individual faculty and staff members who are
aware of these offenses, sexual or not, who choose not to act in the defense
of those kids who are being abused at the hands of their schoolmates.

It is high time that some accountability be brought to educators.  If they
can't do it internally, then the courts are my next best choice.

--
Karl Denninger         Inet:  [e-mail]
VideOcart Inc.        Voice: [phone]