Princeton HS students protest detention over Iraq war walkout

Maybe the students (4.00 / 1)

should have flashed for beads to make it all ok.  It's just amazing the misplaced priorities of the school, especially since the students will be the next ones called to protect the rights that their teachers are taking away.  

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by: Jason Springer @ Mon Mar 31, 2008 at 14:38:19 PM UTC

I don't have a problem with this (4.00 / 5)

I am happy that the kids held their walkout.  Good for them, standing up to power and making sure their voices are heard.

I also don't have a problem with them getting detention.  What's the point of walking out if there are no potential repercussions?  If the school didn't enforce the rules then it is giving its approval to the walkout, which makes it a field trip instead of a protest.

Part of the point of breaking the rules is showing that you are willing to take the consequences of your actions because the issue is so important.

And this is not to denigrate the kids, but did they ASK for more discussion of the Iraq War in the school?  Did they apply to put up educational materials in the cafeteria or invite Vote Vets to do a presentation?  Were they denied their rights to discuss the Iraq War, or was there just not enough of it so they protested?

I don't know the answers to these questions.  And ultimately they are unimportant since I have no problem with the Iraq or the detention protest.

Go get 'em kids!  But you have to learn that there is a cost to free speech, especially when you knowingly exercise it against the established rules.  You also have to learn that suffering that cost is part of your point.

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by: huntsu @ Mon Mar 31, 2008 at 14:53:44 PM UTC

Actually, Protesting The Detentions.... (3.00 / 2)

....is the next step in standing up for free speech.  

Wouldn' t it be cool if the school was forced to hold a week long teach in on all the historical, political, economic and moral aspects of the Iraq war!!!

Let all those in favor of the war actually have debates with those against!!!

Imagine the effect of hundreds of HS students studying and researching and THINKING of arguments to make pro and con!!!

Simply eating a detention and letting it all go is the last thing they should do.

The school administrators should, instead be encouraging independent thought and political action in their students.

These kids should be rewarded, not punished.

Sometimes the "rules" are stupid.

At what point do we Americans actually have a real national debate on the Iraq war?  Will it take 50,000 American dead like Vietnam?

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by: Nick Lento @ Mon Mar 31, 2008 at 16:31:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Which would be why ... (0.00 / 0)

I wrote:

I have no problem with the Iraq or the detention protest.

emphasis added.  :-)

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by: huntsu @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 16:06:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

the principal said there would be no detention (4.00 / 2)

but apparently changed his mind when it was 250 students (and only the students who didn't have a free period at the time of the walkout were given detention).

Some of the students agree with huntsu and want to do their detention.

It's just a coincidence that the Board of Ed is meeting at 4pm during their first detention (3 to 4:30pm Mon), a special meeting to discuss the math curriculum and texts.

The students know very well that there isn't about to be an assembly on the Iraq War.  They were planning to use the detention to fill out "Opt Out" forms and divide into three groups for discussions of various topics related to the occupation.

Going to the school board  and letting them know they don't feel they deserve detention, while appearing to be a refusal to take the consequences, actually furthers their goal of letting the community know where they stand.  I hope they get a hearing.  

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by: kwilkinson @ Mon Mar 31, 2008 at 20:06:33 PM UTC

It's Great To Hear That These Students... (0.00 / 0)

...have such a clear intelligent grasp of the value of a wee bit of civil disobedience.  As we approach the anniversary of Martin Luther King's murder; this story is heartening!

Human beings were never designed or intended to be sheep...........and even sheep will butt at you if you push em around too much!  

I repeat: This nation has great need of a thorough grassroots debate on the Invasion/Occupation of Iraq.   Most people have very very little knowledge and even less understanding of the dirty details of how and why we were mis-led into this disaster.....and even less knowledge/understanding of what's going on there now.

Would it really be such a terrible thing if there were a national week of "Teaching In" and debates on this multi-trillion dollar expenditure in which has cost us over 4,000 lives and many many more thousands of horribly damaged/wounded and in which over 600,000 American's have been srved up to this meatgrinder/soul destroyer of an occupation?

I believe the that the more people know and understand about what Bush has mis-led us into in Iraq; the faster we'll be out of there (as an occupying force)....and the better off the Iraqi people will be.

PS  We don't need any stinking middle east oil.   For the trillion bucks Bush pissed away on this war we could have gone a long way towards totally changing the way we consume energy in this country.....and feeding our own productive economy in the process.

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by: Nick Lento @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 00:52:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Students' detention stands (0.00 / 0)

They will have one more day of detention Tuesday.  It was reported to me that the school board was 'sympathetic,' but they asked them to come back to the regular Tues 8pm meeting in two weeks (Earth Day, as it happens).  

So they are taking the repercussions.  The principal and vice principal were present at the detention.  It is normally just 2 teachers.

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by: kwilkinson @ Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 04:03:53 AM UTC