Bush mentality: fighting is IN... hugging is OUT!!MASCOUTAH, Ill. - Two hugs equals two days of detention for 13-year-old Megan Coulter.
The eighth-grader was punished for violating a school policy banning public displays of affection when she hugged two friends Friday.
“I feel it is crazy,” said Megan, who was to serve her second detention Tuesday after classes at Mascoutah Middle School.
“I was just giving them a hug goodbye for the weekend,” she said.
Megan’s mother, Melissa Coulter, said the embraces weren’t even real hugs — just an arm around the shoulder and slight squeeze.
“It’s hilarious to the point of ridicule,” Coulter said. “I’m still dumbfounded that she’s having to do this.”
District Superintendent Sam McGowen said that he thinks the penalty is fair and that administrators in the school east of St. Louis were following policy in the student handbook.
It states: “Displays of affection should not occur on the school campus at any time. It is in poor taste, reflects poor judgment, and brings discredit to the school and to the persons involved.”
Coulter said she and her husband told their daughter to go ahead and serve her detentions because the only other option was a day of suspension for each skipped detention.
“We don’t agree with it, but I certainly don’t want her to get in more trouble,” Coulter said.
The couple plan to attend the next school board meeting to ask board members to consider rewording the policy or be more specific in what is considered a display of affection.
“I’m just hoping the school board will open their eyes and just realize that maybe they shouldn’t be punishing us for hugs,” Megan said.
5 comments:
Common sense . . .what a concept!
It's so ridiculous. How pathetic for those school officials. Stories like these annoy the heck out of me.
What a shame at a time when we need more hugs.
During the Halloween festivities one young man asked if he could give me a hug. At first I wasn't sure I understood him. (I am hard of hearing. Hearing loss due to being near loud noises on the firing range while in the military.)
When he repeated the request I was delighted to comply. I then waved to his parents who were at the end of the driveway. The kid was probably around 8-10 years old.
It is hard to believe.
But...
when my youngest daughter finally got into university to study to be a primary school teacher she was sent out on her first 'prac-teaching' day.
It was to the poorest school in the area. The aboriginal kids made up about 20% of the school population. She was told that 'not to bother they won't succeed anyway' but the final straw was when she was comforting a little girl and put her arm around her the supervisor came up and reprimanded her. She was told...'you better go and learn to be a child-care worker'.
She left the next day.
OK, I'm just wondering what in the hell this has to do with Bush? That makes no sense at all.
I was a teacher for five years up until 2000. In college, we were already being taught about not touching kids. We were shown videos of teachers literally putting their hands a mere inch or two from a student while escorting the kid across the parking lot.
It amazed me. And as a teacher in a high school, I was constantly taking all kinds of precautions - like leaving my room door open when a kid came in after school for help.
I was also the girls tennis coach. Oh man, don't get me started about girls wearing spankies.
All the lawsuits and over-political correctness has taken the humanity out of teaching.
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