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Who We Are »
Betsy Combier

Help Us to Continue to Help Others »
Email: betsy.combier@gmail.com

 
The E-Accountability Foundation announces the

'A for Accountability' Award

to those who are willing to whistleblow unjust, misleading, or false actions and claims of the politico-educational complex in order to bring about educational reform in favor of children of all races, intellectual ability and economic status. They ask questions that need to be asked, such as "where is the money?" and "Why does it have to be this way?" and they never give up. These people have withstood adversity and have held those who seem not to believe in honesty, integrity and compassion accountable for their actions. The winners of our "A" work to expose wrong-doing not for themselves, but for others - total strangers - for the "Greater Good"of the community and, by their actions, exemplify courage and self-less passion. They are parent advocates. We salute you.

Winners of the "A":

Johnnie Mae Allen
David Possner
Dee Alpert
Aaron Carr
Harris Lirtzman
Hipolito Colon
Larry Fisher
The Giraffe Project and Giraffe Heroes' Program
Jimmy Kilpatrick and George Scott
Zach Kopplin
Matthew LaClair
Wangari Maathai
Erich Martel
Steve Orel, in memoriam, Interversity, and The World of Opportunity
Marla Ruzicka, in Memoriam
Nancy Swan
Bob Witanek
Peyton Wolcott
[ More Details » ]
 
School Suspensions: The Policy of 'Zero Tolerance' Becomes Zero Tolerance For Civil Rights
The E-Accountability Foundation has been working in NYC School Suspension Offices for 4 months, and our research into the false claims, violation of federal laws, and school and Hearing Officers' malice will be the subject of a report that will be posted on this website in the near future. The US constitution and the civil rights of our children are being thrown into the garbage.
          
From the desk of Betsy Combier:
In New York City, African-American and Hispanic children are expelled every day on the basis of false claims made by Principals, Assistant Principals, Deans, and security officers. Anyone who goes to the Offices of School Suspensions in Manhattan, Queens, or Brooklyn (we have not yet attended any hearings in Staten Island) will see the waiting rooms packed with African-American, Hispanic and a few white faces (of children with special needs); 99% of these people will have no advocate or Attorney to assist them. None have been given the 100.10 regulations of the New York State Education Department describing their rights to keep their children at home rather than send them far away to detention centers where they will be given no homework or school work. All the children have been subjected to the harsh 'zero tolerance' policy that Kevin Francois was, in the story below. We need to look at what is happening to our children post 9/11 and Columbine, and we must bring sanity back to the implementation of school discipline in our nation's public schools.

Student Suspended Over Call From Mom in Iraq

LINK

COLUMBUS, Ga. (May 7) - A high school student was suspended for 10 days for refusing to end a mobile phone call with his mother, a soldier serving in Iraq, school officials said.

The 10-day suspension was issued because Kevin Francois was "defiant and disorderly'' and was imposed in lieu of an arrest, Spencer High School assistant principal Alfred Parham said.

The confrontation Wednesday began after the 17-year-old junior got a call at lunchtime from his mother, Sgt. 1st Class Monique Bates, who left in January for a one-year tour with the 203rd Forward Support Battalion.

Mobile phones are allowed on campus but may not be used during school hours. When a teacher told him to hang up, he refused. He said he told the teacher, "This is my mom in Iraq. I'm not about to hang up on my mom.''

Parham said the teen's suspension was based on his reaction to the teacher's request. He said the teen used profanity when taken to the office.

"Kevin got defiant and disorderly,'' Parham said. "When a kid becomes out of control like that they can either be arrested or suspended for 10 days. Now being that his mother is in Iraq, we're not trying to cause her any undue hardship; he was suspended for 10 days.''

Controversial call
Francois suspension reduced from 10 days to 3; board will review its cell phone policy

BY ANGELIQUE SOENARIE, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, May 7, 2005

LINK

A student's punishment for using a cell phone to answer a call from his mother deployed in Iraq has spawned a national outcry and led the school district to conditionally agree to reduce his suspension from 10 days to three.

Meanwhile, the Muscogee County School Board has said it will review its policy that prohibits students from using cell phones during school hours without permission.

Kevin Francois, 17, a junior at Spencer High School in Columbus, was suspended for disorderly conduct Wednesday after he was told to give up his cell phone during lunchtime while talking to his mother, Sgt. 1st Class Monique Bates of Fort Benning's 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.

Karen Jones, the school board's secretary, said school district offices were swamped with hundreds of phone calls and e-mails complaining about the suspension. She said Superintendent John Phillips will allow the student back in school Monday, "but this is predicated on a satisfactory meeting with him, his guardian and the administration."

Kevin said he didn't expect national attention when he telephoned the Ledger-Enquirer late Wednesday, but he thinks it will help him achieve his intent: "My goal was to get back in school," he said.

Kevin said he called the school Friday to return to Spencer. He said Assistant Principal Alfred Parham told him the school needed to talk to his guardian, not him. But Kevin's guardian, was at work, he said.

Kevin admits he previously has been suspended for "playing around" in class. "I'm not a golden child, and I've been wrong, but I was right this time."

Parham said the school was overwhelmed with calls to the point the phone was taken off the hook. Parham, a former U.S. Army major, said the student was disorderly after the teacher told him to give up the cell phone.

"His initial suspension was for three days for cursing and being defiant," Parham said. "The punishment for a cell phone is that we take it up and give it to you at the end of the day."

Parham said Kevin's behavior has been "a chronic problem." His suspension was extended because "he did not want to accept the three-day suspension and to agree that he would not use the cell phone openly or curse."

Ten-day suspensions don't necessarily have to be served in full, only until a meeting can be scheduled to resolve the issue, Parham said.

A meeting is set for Monday morning with Kevin, his guardian, a representative from the mother's Fort Benning unit and school officials.

"I think what has happened is that America may have seemed outraged because of the way it appeared and I can appreciate that," Parham said. " I can appreciate America running to the defense of a child whose parent is in Iraq. They think this child has been unjustly dealt with. I would want the same type of reaction in support of my family."

Parham, however, still stands by the school's action. He said the school does allow students to talk to deployed parents -- but only if they receive permission. He said 25 to 30 of the school's students have done this. About half of Spencer's 1,000 students are from military families, Parham said.

Kevin and his guardian said they weren't aware of that exception to the cell phone policy.

The incident started when Kevin said he received a call from his mother at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday during his lunch break. Kevin said he went outside the school building to get a better reception when his mother called. Kevin said a teacher, Felicita Pescia, saw him on his phone and told him to get off the phone. But he didn't. He said he told her, "This is my mom in Iraq. I'm not about to hang up on my mom."

Pescia is a 20-year educator and was Spencer's 2004 Teacher of the Year. Kevin said she demanded he give the phone to her. But he refused. He said Pescia tried to take the phone, causing it to hang up. Pescia couldn't be reached for comment.

Kevin said he went with Pescia to the school's office, where a secretary took it out of his hand. By then, Kevin's mother called again at 12:37 p.m. and left a message scolding him about hanging up and telling him to answer the phone when she calls.

Parham disagrees with Kevin's version. He said Kevin was in the hallway when Pescia saw him talking on his cell phone and did not tell the teacher he was speaking with his mother in Iraq until he was taken to the office.

Kevin's mother, Monique Bates, left in January for a one-year tour and serves with the 203rd Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.

Bates came to Fort Benning with her son from Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga., and enrolled him at Spencer in August. Since her deployment overseas, Kevin, whose father was killed when he was 5, lives with a guardian who has five children in Columbus.

His guardian, Shalita Hartwell, is a staff sergeant with Fort Benning's 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment. Hartwell, a friend of the family, considers Kevin her nephew. She received a call from the school Wednesday regarding his behavior. She said she was surprised when she learned about Kevin's suspension and tried to explain his situation to Parham.

Hartwell, who served in Iraq with Fort Carson-based 360th Transportation Company in 2003, knows well what it's like to be away from your children.

"You can only call when you can call," she said. "You don't know what your mission is out there. You don't know how tired you get when you come back. You can only call when you can call."

When asked about Kevin's dispute attracting national attention, she said:

"I think if it doesn't benefit Kevin, it will benefit children in the future. There should be an exception of policy for these kids. I understand they don't want cell phones in school when teachers are giving a lesson and the phone is ringing. But it should be on silent or vibrate."

Mark Rice and Mick Walsh contributed to this report. Contact Angelique Soenarie at (706) 571-8516 or asoenarie@ledger-enquirer.com

School board to weigh cell phone policy
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, May 7, 2005

LINK

The Muscogee County School Board will discuss on Monday changing its cell phone policy.

Friday's addition to the work session agenda was prompted by this week's brouhaha about a Spencer High student being suspended for disorderly conduct after a teacher caught him using his cell phone during school hours without permission, which the policy prohibits. The student was talking with his mother, who is serving in Iraq with Fort Benning's 3rd Brigade.

The Ledger-Enquirer asked board members Friday their opinions about the issue.

Was the situation handled correctly?

"We have a policy that they follow the policy; however, sometimes we have to use discretion in a situation like that. Unfortunately, there seems to have been a lack of communication. It probably would have been better if the child had notified the school that he was expecting a call from his mom. They can't call whenever they want to. Some communication should have been done there." Pat Hugley Green, District 1

"It probably was appropriate, but it's very unfortunate it had to escalate to that. People in charge should take the time to find out exactly what's going on. They're trained to be in the position they're in and to deal with children, and sometimes things are cut and dry. Some things need to be responded to with more tolerance." -- John Wells, District 2

"I haven't talked to anyone over at Spencer, and I don't know any of the background on the student, but we sometimes have to use common sense. Sometimes children overreact to certain situations. But sometimes people are provoked, although I'm not sure if that was the case. And sometimes a child has persistent behavior problems and they may have assumed that he was using the phone inappropriately." -- Naomi Buckner, District 4

"The answer is I don't know, because the truth is, I don't really know the details of it... . But based on what I've heard, I would question the judgment in the way it was handled." -- Fife Whiteside, District 5

"I don't know what the situation truly was... . There was a correct way for it all to be handled. Two wrongs don't make a right, so if he then became disrespectful and belligerent, that's a whole separate issue. That warrants the punishment." -- Brenda Storey,District 6

"I want to wait on all the facts, but I have concerns about the special circumstances. This young man's mother is serving our country. That ought to be considered. I know we have policies that must be followed, but we also need to use good judgment." -- Joseph Roberson,District 7

Would you support a policy allowing students to get cell phone calls from deployed parents or guardians during school hours?

"The student should be paged and brought to the office to take the call. Otherwise, someone would have to monitor the cell phone to verify it was the parent in Iraq on the line. We should welcome such calls to the school office." -- Mary Sue Polleys, county-wide, son deployed in Iraq

"I certainly would, but I think that we need to handle that properly. He can't just answer the phone in the middle of class. If he was expecting that call around lunchtime, then the principal needed to have known that... . With all of the daily insurgency going on over there (in Iraq), I don't think anyone wants to pass a moment by to speak to a loved one." -- Pat Hugley Green, District 1

"We don't need a policy. That's already in effect at Spencer. They already let students take a call, as long as they just tell them beforehand. We've got to do everything we can to support our troops, so Spencer is doing the right thing already... . They can do that at other schools, too." -- John Wells, District 2

"Sure. We have to look at that policy. To me, it's common sense for principals to allow that anyway." -- Naomi Buckner, District 4

"I don't know that I would support a policy that allows the student to take a cell phone call... . But what would seem to me to be reasonable would be for us to adopt a policy that the parent can call the school at any time and ask to have the child taken out of class to take the phone call." -- Fife Whiteside, District 5

"Not in the classroom. I think even deployed parents have to be respectful of the educational process. But if the school is aware of it, and they know the parent isn't going to call during class, then that's fine." -- Brenda Storey,District 6

"Yes, I would -- if it did not interfere with class, and if it was manageable. Again, these are special circumstances." -- Joseph Roberson,District 7

Compiled by staff writers Tim Chitwood, Richard Hyatt and Mark Rice

Word of story goes worldwide
National media hungry for tale of student's suspension

BY MICK WALSH, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, May 7, 2005

LINK

It began as a local story -- a high school student claiming he was suspended from school for using a cell phone to talk to his deployed Army mother.

Within hours after it first appeared in the Friday edition of the Ledger-Enquirer and on its Web site, the story of 17-year-old Kevin Francois had spread throughout the United States, even spilling into Iraq and all nations where CNN is available.

Once the story was released nationally by the Associated Press Friday, media outlets seemingly everywhere ran with it, though it had nothing to do with runaway brides, Tom Cruise's latest squeeze or "American Idol" shenanigans.

No sooner did the story hit the AP wire than the Ledger-Enquirer took a call from a producer with NBC's "Today" show, asking for information on how to contact Kevin.

"We knew it was a story from the minute we saw it on the wire," said Melinda Ryan of NBC News' bureau in Atlanta. "I know we'd love to book the kid for 'Today', and maybe get an opportunity to speak to his mom."

No sooner did one network producer hang up than another called. "Good Morning America," followed "Today," then came CBS' "The Early Show" and MSNBC's "Countdown" evening show.

By late afternoon, this story became hotter than the original Chicken Comer barbecue sauce.

Internet Broadcasting Systems, which providesnews surveys for dozens of the country's top television stations, including those in Boston and Indianapolis, asked its viewers if Kevin's punishment was just.

More than 36,000 viewers responded within the first three hours, with 95 percent saying the student should have been allowed to continue his conversation with his mother.

A spokeswoman for Internet Broadcasting, who asked not to be identified, said she wasn't surprised by the response. "This is a hot button issue," she said.

In an Ledger-Enquirer reader survey at www.ledger-enquirer.com, asking if the Muscogee County School District should make exceptions to its cell phone rule for those with parents deployed to Iraq, more than 3,017 readers responded by 11 p.m. And, like the Internet Broadcasting poll, the response was overwhelming... in favor of the student.

By evening, Kevin and his guardian, Shalita Hartwell, did not agree to appear on national TV. But he did telephone interviews with the Los Angeles Times and WAGA Channel 11 in Atlanta.

By early afternoon Friday, more than 200 newspapers and television outlets had picked up the story, from England's Guardian to the Winnipeg Sun, from Long Island's Newsday to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Even the on-line Drudge Report found room for the story.

That's where Henry Martin of Washington, Conn., saw the story.

"It absolutely blew my mind," said Martin, a veteran of almost 30 years ago who said he was quite familiar with Fort Benning and Columbus. "I'm outraged to the insensitivity shown by the school officials to this young man."

He wasn't through. "As mad as I was reading your story, I was more upset by the response of the school system on their Web site. Their release outraged me even more."

If you think the e-mails and telephone calls were reserved for media outlets, check again.

The Muscogee County School District received hundreds of each and Spencer High, where Kevin attends, had an avalanche of phone calls that almost shut down the system.

One example came from retired Lt. Commander Theron Davis of Oroville, Wash., to the author of the story, Angelique Soenarie:

"The incident you reported at Spencer HS concerning Kevin Francois shows the kind of compassionless, Robotic Zero Tolerance kind of behavior that is all too common in the USA today."

The newspaper also received the following e-mail from 1963 Baker High grad, PhD. and retired Air Force colonel Herbert Smith: "Regarding the young man at Spencer who was suspended for trying to talk to his mother in Iraq, should he wish some long-distance tutoring, I'd be glad to provide my services, gratis, if he has access to a computer."

John Burnett of Dexter, Mich., e-mailed the following to the paper:

"I would expect that type of irrational behavior on the part of the teacher and administrator here in heavily unionized and liberal Michigan but not in your state. It also occurred to me that petty tyranny as a managerial technique has been pretty well discounted as an acceptable way to handle students."

One e-mail was directed to Spencer Principal Olivia Rutledge by James Mason of Stephenson, Va., and copied to the Ledger-Enquirer:

"I respect that you must have rules and that he should not have acted defiantly. But there is a time for mercy and this is it. A young man whose father is dead and whose mother is defending our country in a dangerous and far-away land has enough grief already without being dealt with in a one-size-fits-all manner. Your teacher and your administration should have dealt with this situation in a more understanding way from the outset."

Cases Across the Nation

LINK

These articles were found on freedomforum.org. All with the exception of one were civil cases against the school districts for wrongful suspension. The California case is awaiting a ruling form the California Supreme Court.

A federal judge orders Michigan student back to school after school suspended him for writing a graphic story about killing another student. This student is protected by First Amendment rights. Article

A federal judge has ordered an Oklahoma school district to "immediately" reinstate a high school student who wrote a poem about killing a teacher. Article1 - Article2

High school in Rhode Island agrees to settle out of court on lawsuit brought by the ACLU because of an essay written by the 17 year old revolving around the topic of school violence. School district also agreed to clear suspension records. Article

A Washington student first wins, then loses civil case. (No charges brought against this student.) This student wrote of school violence, but also had a history of violence with another student and domestic violence at home. Article - Original Ruling - Article2

A California Supreme Court will be hearing a case where a student was suspended and convicted for writing a violent poem at school. Article

Oregon student sues school district for expulsion related to a website. Article

Kansas student suspended for the rest of the school year because of violent artwork. Article 1- Article 2

Pennsylvania student suspended for a drawing the school deemed "terrorist threats". Article

Pennsylvania student suspended for private email sent to fellow students joking about the high school's athletic director. A civil suit has been filed because the suspension violated the student's right to free speech. Article

In Oklahoma
There have been many similarities of students doing something of this same nature, but few have been charged.

The section below will look at Oklahoma specific cases.

Some articles are from the Norman Transcript, but most are from the Daily Oklahoman. Because the Daily Oklahoman1) charges for access to their archives and 2) specifically states at the bottom of each article that it cannot be distributed, I cannot link the articles from here. However, I will cite article name, date & author for people who want to pull the articles themselves. The Daily Oklahoman charges $6.95 for a 24 hour period to access their archives.

Threatening note turns up at Irving By Keith Dinwiddie 04/09/03 - Norman Transcript

A Moore High School student found a letter stating some Moore High principals, teachers and students would be killed Monday. Author of letter not found. - Two Articles 11/15-16/2002

15 year old Moore High School student allegedly threatened three adminstrators. Three photos of administrators with red dots on foreheads captioned "Snipper" (sic) and "One Hit Kill". The student was not arrested, and initially was suspended, but Bonds (superintendent) would not confirm she is still suspended. Sgt. Singer (Moore Police) states "While it's against the law to make those kind of implied threats, it has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis to determine whether or not it will warrant future action." Two Articles - 10/30/02 & 11/02/02

Midwest City School officials reverse decision to suspend a student for a year for bringing knives to school. Article - Midwest City student's suspension reversed - Ann Kelley - 09/05/02

Letter at Irving Middle School (Norman) found in hallway which threatened lives of 15 students and two teachers on the last day of school. One student suspended.
Norman Transcript Articles 5/21/02, 5/22/02, 5/23/02, -Two Articles - 5/21/2002 & 5/23/2002

Alleged threats at Westmoore High School that a student would blow up the school and shoot students during a senior class photo was called "rumors" by Wayland Bonds (superintendent), who wouldn't say if the student was suspended. No arrests were made, but increased police security present on Thursday. Article - Security Boosted at Westmoore - Benn Scott - 04/20/2001

Vanoss student who sent email to another student stated he was "going to school and shooting some people", but made no references to targets. The student confessed to sending emails, but said he was "just kidding around," and never intended to hurt anyone. The student was not suspended. Officers found no further evidence of violent plans and recovered no weapons. Article - Deputies visit school after threats in Vanoss - Roy Deering - 03/17/2001

Jones middle school student (14) is expected to be charged with disorderly conduct (misdemeanor) for allegedly threatening to shoot another student in the head. The student has been suspended until further investigation. Article - Jones student expected to be charged in threat - Tippi Heidebrecht - 03/10/2001

Much more to come...
Other Cases
Two Dibble high school students have been charged with planning or threatening a violent act, as well as being suspended indefinitely. They were overheard planning to shoot several students and teachers. The attack was planned for a specific date and time. A copy of last year's yearbook was found at a suspect's home with Xs drawn through pictures of several students and teachers. Three Articles - 10/26/02, 10/23/02, 11/02/02

9-year old boy arrested and charged with a felony complaint of possession of a firearm when a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol with six bullets was found in his backpack, and several students reported the boy threaten to kill another student. Article - Gun discovered in backpack at city school - 09/28/200

A Mom's Perspective

N.M. students punished after protesting newspaper censorship
By The Associated Press
04.12.04
CLOVIS, N.M. - Three Clovis High School students will be punished for passing out a flier protesting administrative censorship of their school newspaper.

Matthew Coker, the paper's editor, said he and two reporters received in-school suspensions for violating school procedures by distributing the fliers on school property without prior administrative approval.

The three students are to serve one day this week in the school's so-called "behavior intervention program."

The students said they were trying to raise public support after Superintendent Neil Nuttall told Principal Andy Sweet to reinstate administrative review of the newspaper's content.

The students contend the review was spurred by the December issue of the Purple Press, which contained stories about the cancellation of an attendance-monitoring program and a ban on teachers' wearing blue jeans.

"Because of certain stories that no one thought were inappropriate except Nuttall, he's forcing us back to prior review," Coker said.

Nuttall said prior review of the paper is a long-standing district policy and he had directed Sweet to follow it in earlier evaluations.

Nuttall said he discovered Sweet wasn't previewing the paper during a formal evaluation in January or February.

The date of the evaluation and the December publication of the two stories were coincidental, Nuttall said.

"If I say they didn't come up during his evaluation that would be untrue. They were stories that raised concerns," Nuttall said. "But, it would have been discovered that the process could have been in better alignment regardless."

Although previous principals had reviewed the Purple Press, Coker said the principal agreed with the newspaper's sponsor not to follow the practice this year.

It was only after a conference with Nuttall early this year that Sweet e-mailed the students that he was going back to prior review, Coker said.

Related articles

Ohio district agrees to pay settlement for confiscating student paper
Administrators had said Wooster Blade article about student drinking was potentially defamatory. 11.21.03

Georgia principal pulls 2 student editorials
Opinion page left blank owing to school officials' fears that articles about new club for straight and gay teens could cause disruption during exams. 01.18.05

How free should student newspapers be?
By Charles C. Haynes and Sam Chaltain High school students should be allowed to learn the power of free expression - and the responsibility to exercise it fairly. 10.08.03

K-12 newspapers & yearbooks

Students suspended for passing out candy canes sue school
By The Associated Press
01.15.03
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A group of Westfield High School students given suspensions for handing out candy canes with religious messages to classmates is suing school officials in federal court claiming their First Amendment rights were violated.

LINK

Seven students were given one-day in-school suspensions for breaking a school rule prohibiting the distribution of anything unrelated to school activities or the curriculum.

The students are waiting for a hearing before the school board to appeal those suspensions, but six of them are asking a federal judge to declare the school's policy unconstitutional.

"This policy chills their speech," said Mat Staver, a lawyer for Liberty Counsel, a religious civil liberties and legal defense organization based in Orlando, Fla. "It puts them in a position where they have to give up their freedom of speech for fear they might be disciplined."

Staver, who is representing the students in a lawsuit filed Jan. 13 in U.S. District Court in Springfield, cited the Supreme Court's 1969 decision Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. Community School District. In that case the Court said students are allowed to engage in speech during non-instructional time as long as it does not interfere with the operation of the school.

The suit also asks that the students' suspensions be removed from their files.

"This is a disciplinary suspension that none of the students want on their records," Staver said. "One of our clients wants to enter the military academy. A suspension of this nature could be devastating to that prospect."

School Superintendent Thomas McDowell and Westfield High School Principal Thomas Daley did not immediately return telephone calls from the Associated Press.

The students, who are members of the school's Bible club, have said they asked Daley if they could hand out the candy canes and religious messages just before Christmas.

When they were told not to, the students ignored their principal and passed out about 450 candies and attachments. The notes attached to each candy cane gave a religious explanation of the peppermint treat, detailing how its "J" shape stands for Jesus and its red and white stripes symbolize Christ's blood and purity.

They also included a prayer and a message that read, in part, "It is not a prayer that saves you. It is trusting Jesus Christ that saves you."

Stephen Grabowski, a 16-year-old junior who says he is a born-again Christian, said suing the school system is the best way he knows how to stand up for his rights.

"We want to show students in other schools that they have the right to stand up for their faith and speak out for what they believe in," Grabowski said yesterday. "If we were to back down on this, we wouldn't be taking a stand. We don't want to be stepped on."

McDowell has said the school system follows guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Justice that say individual schools should not make separate rules governing the distribution of religious and nonreligious material.

The students were told they couldn't pass out the candy canes, he has said, because students aren't allowed to hand out anything unrelated to the curriculum.

The case has caught the attention of student free-expression watchdogs.

"The Constitution does allow for some distribution by students during the school day as long as the material does not interfere with school activities," said Mike Hiestand, a lawyer with the Arlington, Va.-based Student Press Law Center. "A blanket ban on all independent distribution would seem to go too far."

A similar lawsuit involving a 5-year-old boy from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., who wanted to give his classmates pencils or candy canes with evangelical Christian messages was rejected by a federal judge. It's now before the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Suspensions and expulsions of public elementary and secondary school students, by state, sex, percent of enrollment: 2000

Overview of Zero Tolerance
This site publicizes the downside or evils of zero tolerance school discipline policies.

LINK

Motivation for its creation was a particularly nasty expulsion nightmare described in the Main Story section from the navigation bar. The scope of the site has since broadened to publicizing the harm that these policies are causing to children, parents and families throughout this country. It also exists to provide a resource for those currently experiencing a nightmare and looking for help or advice. We will put you in contact with others in your area when possible and will direct you to known information resources that may be helpful. If you are fighting a zero tolerance nightmare, you have found a site that is sympathetic and supportive.

If you are experiencing a Zero Tolerance Nightmare and feel that the publicity from this website could help your fight or you feel that you have learned some valuable lessons that others should know please Tell Your Story. All stories reflecting zero tolerance measures taken can be posted. If your school officials are particularly nasty and mindless, if requested, I will also consider publishing the story in the Other ZT Stories section for no other reason than to "shine the light on the perps" since the publication will be well indexed in the major search engines.

 
© 2003 The E-Accountability Foundation