Ohio student suspended for staying in class during walkouts - Sensationalist Headlines

A student at an Ohio high school said he was suspended for deciding not to participate in Wednesday's walkout protesting gun violence and for not joining other students not walking out in a study hall, according to reports. Jacob Shoemaker, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School in Hilliard, Ohio, told the Columbus Dispatch he felt that by walking out of school Wednesday, he would be making a political statement about firearms, something he did not want to do. Students who did not want to participate in the walkout were instructed to gather for a study hall, but Shoemaker reportedly felt that by joining fellow students who didn’t protest, he would also be taking a side. “’The biggest problem, Dad, is that there shouldn’t be politics in the classroom … I may just sit in my seat. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the least intrusive of the choices I’ve been given,” Shoemaker said, according to his father, Scott Shoemaker. When the walkout began Wednesday morning, Shoemaker decided to remain in his seat in class, but was given an out-of-school suspension. “Student refused to follow instructions after being warned repeatedly by several administrators. Student not permitted on school property 24 hours," the slip from Hilliard City Schools said. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-student-suspended-gun-protest-20180316-story.html https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ohio-student-suspended-for-staying-in-classroom-during-gun-control-walkout https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/03/16/ohio-student-suspended-staying-class-during-walkouts/431268002/

Understandable if he didn't want to join in. It sounds like the teachers were trying to force students to walk out which makes me feel like they didn't grasp the idea of this being a "students taking a stand" type deal

Once again schools prove they don't understand jack shit about what these students are trying to accomplish.

My first reaction is that he'd have a civil rights case against them because they basically told him he had to protest, but after reading it I'm not so sure. It sounds like the school moved everyone to a study hall because there weren't enough people in class to bother holding the classes. That's a pretty common way to handle things, and his refusing to leave a closed classroom/building could merit disciplinary action in that case. Not that I think suspending him is the ideal way to go about this, but there's definitely more going on here than "student suspended for refusing to protest".

Sounds like they just wanted them in one place so they could keep track of students, since they would be spread out in the school. I can see why you could interpret it as making a stance, but like those walking out getting punishment, there's no reason that disobeying admin wouldn't result in consequences.

you just can't win with US school administrators.

The only winning move is not to play. He should have just stayed home.

Title is sensationalist bullshit. He was suspended for not leaving [i]that specific classroom[/i] to join the other non-protesters where they were being supervised.

Haha no way, that was where I went to school. Never thought I would see my home town in Sensationalist Headlines.

Yeah, I agree with this 100%. He should have went to the study hall to be supervised if he didn't want to protest.

Read the article maybe? He said he felt that doing that would also be taking a side.

While he absolutely did not deserve punishment, that's a fairly silly perspective on it. Non-activism isn't taking a side, they said "hey, if you'd rather stay in, please go here." That wasn't "if you disagree go here." Its not taking a side to go to the study hall, it's choosing not to involve yourself. But like I said, suspending him was ridiculous, as well.

I didn't know this single person had to be personally catered to with a non-non-protesting room, so that he definitely felt like he wasn't taking a stance on the issue. He could've easily went to the non-protest room after giving his whole spiel to clarify he wasn't necessarily against the walk-out, or whatever his largely-unimportant stance may be.

No, this makes sense, he was punished for refusing to leave the classroom when there would be no one around to supervise him. The students who didn't want to walk out could stay if they wanted to, but they would have to do it in a supervised area because I'm sure most of the teachers walked out too. Didn't we already hear of a custodian stealing stuff in an unattended room, why would they leave a student there alone? Not to mention the possible lawsuits if they let the student stay unsupervised and he got hurt during that time. What a dumb, sensationalist shit piece.

Either way, US schools suspend kids for goddamn everything, and it serves no purpose whatsoever.

Headlines are super sensationalist. He was suspended for not going to study hall like he was told. Meanwhile, 1100 students were given detention explicitly because they joined the protests.