Texas Dad Protests for Son Suspended After Standing Up to Bully
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[QUOTE]A Texas dad who recently returned from a year in Afghanistan spent his time at home picketing his son's middle school after the teen was sent to another school for standing up to a bully he says had been harassing him for years.Randy Duke, who trains police officers in Afghanistan, has found himself spending his days back in Victoria, Texas, wedged between two pieces of poster board with the phrase "BULLYING VICTIMS ARE PUNISHED HERE" emblazoned on each side. The 48-year-old dad spent hours each day wearing the signs and picketing outside of Cade Middle School.
"The school administration assessed the situation, and gave what I believe was a harsh punishment," Duke told ABC News. "They looked at this as a fight -- which it was not. Had it been, in-school suspension would be an appropriate punishment."
Duke's 13-year-old son Max said he hit his breaking point after another student stomped on one of the expert paper airplanes Max had made and given to a classmate with special needs.
"My son said, 'why would you do that?' and the kid shoved my son. Max shoved back, and an altercation continued," Duke said. "Max has been working hard to stay away from him, since he had been confronted by him and other kids before. They would use racial slurs – saying 'we don't like you because you're white.'"
According to Duke, a teacher said both Max and the other teen were able to get blows in. After the fight was broken up, Max was subjected to the school's policy on fights within the school -- a two-day suspension, after which he was sent to Victoria's Mitchell Guidance Center – an alternate school where students are sent through metal detectors, given pat-downs before entering and even have their fingernails checked.
Max's harshest punishment, however, was the nullification of his opportunity to play with Victoria High School's marching bands. He was one of eight middle school students selected to march with the band at football games. His dad says that playing with the band was a point of pride for Max, who had been withdrawing because of the bullying he'd suffered at school.
Since he has been working overseas, Duke had yet to see his son play with the high school band – for which one of his other daughters performs color guard.
"He was drawing into a shell, not making friends or going out to play," Duke said. "When he played with the band, he started coming out of his shell. Now all of a sudden, he had something to drive towards, he was opening up and making friends."
After two meetings with the school's assistant principal, a conversation with the middle school's principal, and unreturned calls from the superintendent of Victoria's secondary schools, Duke decided to start a protest.
For two hours per day, Duke, a former law enforcement officer with 20 years of experience, headed down to the middle school and began walking the public sidewalks outside the school, wearing his sign. He says he was there at times when parents and teachers would definitely see his message about what was going on at his boy's school.
"I got lots of thumbs ups, and cars honking at me," Duke said. "I talked with other parents who said their child was bullied and it was improperly handled. There's been a lot of national attention with children committing suicide over [bullying]."
Duke says soon he started to see police patrol cars drive by -- which he says he figured out were sent by the school to keep an eye on him. He says that he personally knew all of the officers that were sent over."What a waste of their time I was!" he said.
Duke's protest began to gain more attention as a hearing on a formal complaint he'd filed approached. After a meeting with the soon-to-be new superintendent, he was under the impression that Max, whose grades had begun to suffer while at the alternative school, would be back at his middle school. But the investigation into the incident continued.
"He said that it would take time. Meanwhile my son is being punished as we sit here. My goal was to get him back into classes, and get his grades back. I got frustrated. I was about to put my signs back on," he said.
Duke's wife Wendy then made two well-placed phone calls, and quickly an agreement was made that the couple we would retract their complaint against the school, which Duke said was incorrectly worded. Max was quickly reenrolled at his middle school, and was able to perform with the marching band. Duke credits his wife's cool temper for her son's reenrollment.
"It's good I was never a hostage negotiator," he said. "It wouldn't end well."
Since resolving the issue, Duke has begun to organize with other parents in his community to create more awareness about bullying problems within the schools, and urge the district to have comprehensive training on how to handle the issue. The principal at Cade Middle School told Duke that representatives from the school will be sent to his meetings.
"Instead of us against them, my purpose is to mend our community," he said. "I'm hoping to plant the seed in the community. And I hope community leaders will step up and roll with it."
Now, with 15 days left before he returns to Afghanistan for another year, Duke can now say that after standing up for him, he was finally able to see his two kids perform together.
"I watched through tears," he said. "It was amazing."[/QUOTE]
[URL]http://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-dad-protests-son-suspended-standing-bully/story?id=17482938[/URL]
[quote]Duke's 13-year-old son Max said he hit his breaking point after [B]another student stomped on one of the expert paper airplanes Max had made and given to a classmate with special needs.[/B][/quote]
What an asshole.
So he got in trouble for defending himself? His school probably has one of those "no tolerance" rules
[QUOTE=Disotrtion;38060148]So he got in trouble for defending himself? His school probably has one of those "no tolerance" rules[/QUOTE]
It's kind of the norm. We really can't do much besides tell someone and watch them get a slap on the wrist. Give them a couple minutes and they'll be at it again however....
I'm glad he stood up for himself, maybe now he will be left alone.
My school has cameras everywhere in the hallways and in study hall, so if a fight breaks out you can see who started it first kinda defeating the no tolerance rule.
For a while in my school, if you assaulted someone you got a detention, if you swore in class you got a two-to-three day suspension.
Public education!
[QUOTE=zombays;38060480]My school has cameras everywhere in the hallways and in study hall, so if a fight breaks out you can see who started it first kinda defeating the no tolerance rule.[/QUOTE]
It doesn't matter who started it when it comes to these kinds of schools, if you were involved you get punished regardless of the situation.
[QUOTE=yujin110;38060582]It doesn't matter who started it when it comes to these kinds of schools, if you were involved you get punished regardless of the situation.[/QUOTE]
That is the stupidest thing since Honey Boo Boo
You have no idea how much this pisses me off that people standing up for themselves get punished?
Your expected to stand up for yourself when you leave school and get a job, so why arent you allowed in school?
Education at its finest
[QUOTE=WingedAssailant;38060703]You have no idea how much this pisses me off that people standing up for themselves get punished?
Your expected to stand up for yourself when you leave school and get a job, so why arent you allowed in school?
Education at its finest[/QUOTE]
its because the school doesn't want to get involved, they make these "no tolerance' rules just to cover their ass and absolve any blame.
Glad I am at college now where everybody treats you with respect since your paying out of your own pocket.
[QUOTE=Mr Kotov;38060534]For a while in my school, if you assaulted someone you got a detention, if you swore in class you got a two-to-three day suspension.
Public education![/QUOTE]
When I was in school, most of the teachers didn't give a shit if you swore.
[QUOTE=nomad1;38060871]Glad I am at college now where everybody treats you with respect since your paying out of your own pocket.[/QUOTE]
It's so bad when school becomes enjoyable when you finally get to college.
[QUOTE=The golden;38061342]When are we going to start taking bullying seriously?[/QUOTE]
When schools get their heads out of their asses.
[QUOTE=yujin110;38060582]It doesn't matter who started it when it comes to these kinds of schools, if you were involved you get punished regardless of the situation.[/QUOTE]
Weird.
Only suspension that's happened in my school in its entire history was a three day suspension when some black guy punched a teacher.
Some girl called him a nigger, so he punched her. So a teacher came and tried to stop him, and he punched him too.
[QUOTE=Mio Akiyama;38061355]When schools get their heads out of their asses.[/QUOTE]
So, never?
[QUOTE=Disotrtion;38060148]So he got in trouble for defending himself? His school probably has one of those "no tolerance" rules[/QUOTE]
Zero tolerance rules are a bunch of bullshit. I've never seen them work the way they're intended to.
[QUOTE=yujin110;38060582]It doesn't matter who started it when it comes to these kinds of schools, if you were involved you get punished regardless of the situation.[/QUOTE]
Even the harassed gets in trouble!
But seriously now, this is stupid. What sense can come out of this?
The last school I worked at had a policy that both are punished but the one who threw the first punch is punished more seriously than the defendee
My school is pretty much covered; they used to simply have a "FIGHTING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED" rule, but in recent years they've added an addendum on self-defense. I don't have the handbook they gave me right in front of me, but it's something like, they define self-defense as enough force to subdue the aggressor. It's nicely worded and it's come into play a couple times this year, as far as I've seen.
The no tolerance system is bullshit, it always punishes the people who get bullied and retaliate. When I was in elementary school, I never wanted to fight. One day some bully came up to me and ripped my gameboy out of my hands, then threw it on the cement and broke it. He kept shoving me and kicking me so I couldn't grab the gameboy, then when I went to run away he'd grab me and throw me onto the ground and punch me. I couldn't get away, and I was getting the shit kicked out of me so I swung two punches at his face. One broke his nose, the other chipped his tooth. I was suspended for a week + 2 weeks in school suspension for fighting, because his injuries were "more grievous" and I should have just "ran away and told a teacher". Even though I told them I was trying to run away. He got jack shit.
When my brother and I were in elementary school, some 80lb kid tried to take his Hot Wheels from him that the principle had given him for helping a needs child. When he said no, the kid tried to throw a punch at my brother, who then proceeded to flip the kid over his back. Not only did the kid get hauled off by the police (Arizona made bullying illegal), the principal gave him ANOTHER Hot Wheel and a candy bar from her secret stash :v:
Awesomest principle ever.
My old Jr. high School had the "No tolerance" thing. It wasn't bullshit since the principle knew how it went. A kid tried to take my money because he wanted to buy a pizza. I said "No, screw off" he punched me then I bashed his head into a locker and walked off. The kid told the principle I assaulted him. I went to the office showed the principle my bruise of my cheek. The principle just suspended the other kid for 5 days I got off free. He knew I was telling the truth when I said what happened.
What's the deal with bullies? Are they abused and hated by their parents and so that's how they think they should treat people? Like what makes a person rationalize in their head that the acceptable course of action in dealing with other people is to willingly torment them physically and/or verbally? I have this little thing called a conscience and when I do things that make others feel bad, I feel bad for doing it, because I know I wouldn't want someone to do the same unto me.
And the no tolerance rule is utter bullshit. I wonder where that shit comes from, it's like they're trying to breed helpless, passive drones that won't stand up and do the right thing when the time comes.
[QUOTE=GodKing;38063536]What's the deal with bullies? Are they abused and hated by their parents and so that's how they think they should treat people? Like what makes a person rationalize in their head that the acceptable course of action in dealing with other people is to willingly torment them physically and/or verbally? I have this little thing called a conscience and when I do things that make others feel bad, I feel bad for doing it, because I know I wouldn't want someone to do the same unto me.
And the no tolerance rule is utter bullshit. I wonder where that shit comes from, it's like they're trying to breed helpless, passive drones that won't stand up and do the right thing when the time comes.[/QUOTE]
I'd think 4 main reasons:
A) They want to seem "Cool" or like an Alpha.
B) They are bullied themselves
C) They are just evil pricks
D) Their parents treat them like shit so they take it out on others who seem more "Insignificant" than themselves (Relates to B I guess)
[QUOTE=Rents;37994757]"Zero tolerance" policies on fighting, AKA the teachers are too lazy to actually look into what's going on and just suspend everyone involved or unlucky enough to be around when it happens. That's what my school was like, anyway, so what would happen is five or so kids would come out of nowhere, beat the crap out of someone for 30 seconds and then run off, leaving that guy, anyone trying to help or just standing around in trouble for being "involved in a fight".[/QUOTE]
kids that beat the shit out of bullies should be rewarded
real talk tho, $20 a tooth
-snip-
How much of an asshole do you have to be to pick on a kid with special needs?
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