Teen Suspended for Comments on Homosexuality

[TheSassyOne]

I just saw on the news that a Texas teen (a Freshman) was given a three day suspension, I believe for stating in class that he thought homosexuality was wrong because it was against Christianity [his religion]. Now, I disagree with his opinion, but it seems it was a class discussion and when he offered his opinion, he was immediately sent to the office and was given this punishment.

I don't know, but it seems like this was a good time for that teacher to have a great discussion. I'm going see if there's any more information about this situation. The young man seemed polite and in the news cast nothing was offered that any ugly remarks/taunts were being yelled during the class. It seems extreme that the teacher would kick him out of class and not delve into a conversation to try and educate him on why others, who are Christian, do not share his opinion.

Thoughts, or am I way off base?

[emmiedahl]

If he stated it politely, I don't understand why he was punished. It was a teachable moment, and instead they made him feel like a martyr for the faith.

[lilwriter85]

I disagree with the teen as well, but he shouldn't have been suspended.

[TheSassyOne]

Okay, it wasn't a class discussion. It seems they were in German class discussing religions. He turned to his friend and in a conversation made that statement and the teacher overhead him and sent him to the Principal's office.

There just has to be more to this!

[Stickers]

If he had said "I don't think black people are as good as white people" he'd probably be treated the same way as he was probably punished under a zero tolerance to bullying policy.

[emmiedahl]

If he said it in a polite and respectful way in an appropriate context, then I think he can say whatever he wants. srsly, I sat next to a skinhead in history class. He had opinions. It's allowed.

[Linnea]

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/educat ... y-is-wrong

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Stu ... 54323.html

(not breaking links because they're news articles)

Okay, he wasn't participating in a class discussion. He was talking to his friend during class. It's hard to tell from the articles whether it was really the content of his opinion that was the problem, or whether it was his behavior.

[Stickers]

I think a lot of a schools are cracking down on this kind of stuff, partly due to the highly publicized bullying related suicides in the last few years. So what was okay a few years ago might not be okay now.

[Bella99]

Okay, it wasn't a class discussion. It seems they were in German class discussing religions. He turned to his friend and in a conversation made that statement and the teacher overhead him and sent him to the Principal's office.

There just has to be more to this!

Agreed. Remember, the teacher won't be giving interviews and for all we know this kid has been a nightmare. Like the 7th grader my friend kept sending up for making sexually inappropriate remarks. That kept being sent back to class.

[twin2]

I'm sure Fox News will have all the details by tomorrow.

[twin2]

I'm sure Fox News will have all the details by tomorrow.

And its up. I must be psychic.

[Chrystal-J]

If he said it in a polite and respectful way in an appropriate context, then I think he can say whatever he wants. srsly, I sat next to a skinhead in history class. He had opinions. It's allowed.

I'm with you. If you start censoring speech, it will eventually affect everyone.

[LynnKaboom]

I believe in free speech for everyone as long as they're not inciting violence. But in schools, it can be tricky, and do we even know if his opinions are why he was disciplined? When I was in 10th grade I had a teacher who, if you said anything even remotely unrelated to the topic of the class, unless it was something like 'I think I'm going to be sick, can I go to the nurse?", would give you a discipline referral. You could say something completely inoffensive, like "kittens are nice" and you'd get written up. He just really hated interruptions to his teaching. Is it possible this could be a similar situation?

[debrand]

When I was in school(eons ago) there was a rule that the faculty could decide if writing on a t-shirt was offensive. If it was considered offensive, the student had to have a new shirt brought from home. No one complained about the loss of freedom of speech because we were told the rules at the beginning of every school year.

The boy should have been given a warning. He was in German class. Someone asked the teacher how Germans felt about homosexuals. The student asking the question probably expected the teacher to respond not another student. He should have been given a warning for disrupting class. If this is an ongoing problem with him than I understand why he was suspended.

Unfortunately suspending him will only make him a martyr.

I understand the school's actions. Keeping kids safe means protecting them from bullying.

[BravaAmica]

I just saw on the news that a Texas teen (a Freshman) was given a three day suspension, I believe for stating in class that he thought homosexuality was wrong because it was against Christianity [his religion]. Now, I disagree with his opinion, but it seems it was a class discussion and when he offered his opinion, he was immediately sent to the office and was given this punishment.

I don't know, but it seems like this was a good time for that teacher to have a great discussion. I'm going see if there's any more information about this situation. The young man seemed polite and in the news cast nothing was offered that any ugly remarks/taunts were being yelled during the class. It seems extreme that the teacher would kick him out of class and not delve into a conversation to try and educate him on why others, who are Christian, do not share his opinion.

Thoughts, or am I way off base?

Was his opinion relevant to the discussion? Was he suspended because he mentioned his religion as a support for his opinion? Could his remarks (and we have no idea what he said, exactly) been construed as potentially bullying?

I don't know why the teacher didn't further the discussion in class. I know I probably wouldn't have pursued his opinion in a public school setting. Because when someone believes something, and backs it up with faith, the discussion is already shut down, in my experience. "It's against my religion/ it's not biblical/ it's not Christian" shut down any discussion or sharing of ideas. There's nowhere left to go once that comes up except trotting out Bible quotes. I'm not going to learn anything from a discussion from that except how closed minded they are so I don't even go there.

[Bella99]

I don't know why the teacher didn't further the discussion in class. I know I probably wouldn't have pursued his opinion in a public school setting. Because when someone believes something, and backs it up with faith, the discussion is already shut down, in my experience. "It's against my religion/ it's not biblical/ it's not Christian" shut down any discussion or sharing of ideas. There's nowhere left to go once that comes up except trotting out Bible quotes. I'm not going to learn anything from a discussion from that except how closed minded they are so I don't even go there.

Well said.

The only side we will get is the one from the student and his parents. Legally, I'm not sure how much the school district can even say. I really disliked their implication that the school might retaliate via grades. How is this any different from a kid from the project's parents crying racism?

[emmiedahl]

One thing: it could be something that he brings up a lot and gets warned about a lot. The school might have a policy against talking about religion in nonreligious classes. Maybe he has a history of bullying and has been advised to drop the subject. I would hate to think that he makes an innocent statement about his religious beliefs and is harshly punished for it. But the more I think about it, the more I think there is a backstory here.

For example, my son was suspended for reading a text from his grandparent at lunch last year. Even though it sounds extreme, he had been warned already, lost the phone once, etc. The school policy is that phones must be silent and invisible. It sounds harsh to say he was suspended for looking at his phone at lunch, but there was a whole progression.

[CanadianHippie]

I don't think he should have been suspended, but from what I've read, someone needs to talk to this kid about staying on topic. When someone asks about European views on homosexuality the proper response doesn't involved what you believe unless you live there or moved from there.

That being said, I do wonder if there is more too it, just people I typed "Texas Teen Suspended" and the majority of responses ended with "for Crossdressing". I know that it's wrong to generalize, but Texas doesn't exactly have a good track record when it comes to gay rights *cough*HomosexualConductIllegalUntil2003*cough*

[CanadianHippie]

One thing: it could be something that he brings up a lot and gets warned about a lot. The school might have a policy against talking about religion in nonreligious classes. Maybe he has a history of bullying and has been advised to drop the subject. I would hate to think that he makes an innocent statement about his religious beliefs and is harshly punished for it. But the more I think about it, the more I think there is a backstory here.

For example, my son was suspended for reading a text from his grandparent at lunch last year. Even though it sounds extreme, he had been warned already, lost the phone once, etc. The school policy is that phones must be silent and invisible. It sounds harsh to say he was suspended for looking at his phone at lunch, but there was a whole progression.

From most of what I have read, they were talking about religion in Germany, so religion isn't the fact. I think the issues is the question (what are German/European views on gays) versus the boy's response (an "I believe" type statement).

[Rosa]

I would guess there's more to the story, and we won't hear it.

Plus, there aren't really free speech rights in schools, for kids. Even things like wearing a pink ribbon or an armband for political reasons are just barely tolerated because of old Supreme Court cases. School newspapers are routinely censored and the courts have supported that, even if they are privately printed by students. Bigger stuff like the day of silence for remembering people with AIDS is only allowed if school administrators say it is.

[Bella99]

One thing: it could be something that he brings up a lot and gets warned about a lot. The school might have a policy against talking about religion in nonreligious classes. Maybe he has a history of bullying and has been advised to drop the subject. I would hate to think that he makes an innocent statement about his religious beliefs and is harshly punished for it. But the more I think about it, the more I think there is a backstory here.

For example, my son was suspended for reading a text from his grandparent at lunch last year. Even though it sounds extreme, he had been warned already, lost the phone once, etc. The school policy is that phones must be silent and invisible. It sounds harsh to say he was suspended for looking at his phone at lunch, but there was a whole progression.

And the schoolteachers of America adore you for recognizing the progression! I have a friend that recently switched districts and she is getting whiplash. Sadly, the parents in the bad part of the town were the ones telling the kids to respect their teacher. Now she deals with well-off parents doing the homework for their kids.

[CanadianHippie]

And the schoolteachers of America adore you for recognizing the progression! I have a friend that recently switched districts and she is getting whiplash. Sadly, the parents in the bad part of the town were the ones telling the kids to respect their teacher. Now she deals with well-off parents doing the homework for their kids.

And those well off kids with parents who do their homework and never get in trouble for things turn into some of the young adults I go to school with now. Seriously, if you are in University, you shouldn't need the teacher to stop mid-lecture to remind you not to text in class. Nor should you be waiting in line for coffee and doughnuts bitching about how you are "already late". If you're going to be late, save the rest of us who arrived early, or came after class the hassle of listening to you and leave the line to go to class. And for the love of all that is holy, do not spend your time in class giggling and whispering with the person next to you. It is distracting to the other students and disrespectful to the teacher, and if the person next to you responds with a grunt and don't even look you way, LEAVE THEM THE FUCK ALONE! (sorry for yelling) they don't want to talk to you, they want to do what they are paying money to do. Learn! And if the teacher asks you not to bring food to class, or not to bring stinky food to class, listen. There may just be a good reason for it. And no chips are not class food, people are trying to hear what the teacher is saying, not the sound of you opening you bag, and taking out chips and crunching them all through class.

*Gasps, takes a deep breath*

And for God sake, if you nose is running like a faucet, bring facial tissue so I don't have to listen to you sniffing your nose juices all through the lecture. (Especially true if it is an exam.)

*Sigh*

Thanks, you can ignore this now, I just really needed to vent.

[AnnoDomini]

UGH yes I HATE when people are sniffling in class.

[Bella99]

Wheww! And ditto. Now that I am an almost geriatric student I am shocked by how many show up 10 minutes late. If I could arrive on time this past week (Her Maj was recovering from pneumonia and so getting her ready involved 5 different medications - no amount of night before lunch packing was truly going to help.) then your average young adult with no children should mostly be able to. Fortunately, my classmates who have stuck it out so far may be tardy, but they are not distractions.

[emmiedahl]

I totally understood why the school had to suspend my son. He's a good student except for being a general smart-ass 15 year old boy, but rules are rules and he was warned.

I am a little shocked when I see younger classmates at university come late, nap, text, etc. I don't remember being so disrespectful when I was a younger person in college. Now that I am an older person in college, I tend to treat it like a job. Be punctual, be polite, look presentable, etc. Of course I have always been the one paying for classes, which makes a difference.

In a chemistry class, I had a girl who sat behind me who would swear under her breath as she took exams. A few times it made me laugh because she would get really colorful, which attracted too much attention and disturbed everyone. But srsly this was not general chemistry. It was a higher level class.