Teen Suspended After Accepting Call From Father In Iraq

[proud2BlibKansan]

The teen, Brandon Hill, has been suspended from school because his teacher said he violated his school's "no cell phone" policy when he accepted a call from his father, who is in Iraq.

Hill had no idea when his father would be able to call and had to keep the phone handy. Hill's mother, Patricia, said they thought they had cleared the call with Copperas Cove High School, but Hill was suspended for two days for breaking school policy.

"I took the call, I was walking outside the classroom, and the teacher followed me out. He was asking me what I was doing, and I told him that my Dad was calling from Iraq and I needed to talk to him," said Hill. "He stood there for about two minutes, and afterwards he went inside the classroom and he came back out and wrote me up and sent me to the office."

Hill's mother said the principal e-mailed his teachers to let them know he had permission to take calls from his father.

"My husband had an agreement with the assistant principal, Mr. Fletcher. He had spoken to him before he left, told him that both my sons, Brandon and Joshua, and if he called it was, you know, to accept the call, to let them have it," she said.

Hill's mother is now working to get the suspension removed from her son's record.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/15879777/detail.html?dl=mainclick

[PDJane]

1. sigh...........

And if that's the last phone call the kid gets? what is wrong with these people?

[Seeking Serenity]

2. Oh, that's ate up.

Have we lost all sense of reason, judgment and just good ol' (all-to-often-un)common sense?

My question to the school administrator: "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?"

[Karenina]

9. FIRE THAT TEACHER! NOW!

Authoritarian ARSCHLOCH!!! Anyone got a snail or e-mail address?

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. The teacher didn't suspend him

Only principals can suspend kids.

So this principal told the kid he could take a call from his dad and then suspended him.

The teacher should be disciplined for not reading his email. The principal is the one who should be fired, if anyone IS fired.

[Karenina]

24. Thank you for correcting me!

What I CANNOT UNDERSTAND is a child saying "It's my dad calling from Iraq" not being left in peace and encouraged to take ALL THE TIME he needs to talk for what could too easily be the LAST TIME. :wtf::cry::cry::cry::wtf:

Bill Clinton once said something to the effect of what's wrong with America can be cured by what's right in America. I no longer believe that to be true... :cry:

[Snarkturian Clone]

59. Teachers get lied to all the time. Some teachers have become

like cops, assuming that everything a student says is a lie until proven otherwise. In the heat of the moment, things like this happen. Accidents happen.

[Fleshdancer]

3. I would have taken the call too

Some things are far more important than school policy. This is one of them.

[provis99]

4. this is what you get when schools have stupid "zero tolerance" policies

School administrators are looking less and less like community leaders and more like lunkheaded government bureaucrats with delusions of godhood.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. If they really wanted to enforce their no cell phone rule,

they could have encouraged the dad to call the school office.

But no, the principal told the kid it was okay and then suspended him. That is just infuriating :mad:

[Richard Steele]

19. "Zero tolerance" is just code for "zero use of brain".

Gone are the days when wisdom and compassion played a part
in dealing with infractions of rules, and circumstances
are no longer taken into account...no, someone just points
to the almighty rule book, and it's case closed.

No actual thought required.

[Seeking Serenity]

21. Actually (unfortunately), it's a liability risk reduction technique.

If you have one policy uniformly applied with no leeway for extenuating circumstances, then you've reduced your risk in our hyper-litigious society from allegations of favouritism.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. That's a good point

You would be amazed by how many parents threaten lawsuits over trivial crap and how many actually file lawsuits over trivial crap. No, I am not calling this phone call suspension trivial. But the parents who freak out over the little stuff put schools on hyper alert status and the result is zero tolerance.

[Seeking Serenity]

33. You are correct. This was not trivial, but

it was caught up in the wave of trying to protect from litigation over the trivial.

"Little Johnny wasn't chosen for the basketball team. I'll sue." I fear too many people view the courts, not as a means to address real injustices, but as a lottery ticket.

Luncacy like this story is the result.

[Thothmes]

39. Zero tolerance policies

relieves them of the responsibility of making judgemental decisions.

[Winterblues]

5. It doesn't matter where your parents are, you take their call

Being in Iraq even makes it the more urgent but it matters not where your father or mother are, if they call you take it..For the school to deny that is absurd, IMO.

[LanternWaste]

6. I imagine this one will get

I imagine this one will get quickly overturned, and any and all records of it expunged.

I'm pleasantly surprised that no one's mentioned the word "lawsuit" yet... :)

[TooBigaTent]

7. Would people's reactions be the same if it was a call from an incarcerated parent

who can only call during school hours?

But, as long as it can be connected to "our brave defenders in Eyerack," we are supposed to bend over backwards.

[yardwork]

12. I would feel exactly the same way if it were as you suggest

but the fact that a child of a service man serving in a war zone would be treated this way makes it doubly awful. As Michael Moore said in Fahrenheit 9/11, most of our soldiers are men and women from working class families, who are sacrificing an enormous amount, and all they ask in return is some decency and respect and not to have their lives wasted.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Incarcerated parents can only call collect and in most prisons,

only to landlines.

So the likelihood that this could be an incarcerated parent is slim.

[Greyskye]

25. You sound like someone with no children.

Or empathy.

Have a nice life.

[TooBigaTent]

40. I have two great daughters who knew not to violate school rules. They left their

cell phones off because that was the rule in their school.

They did not think that they were exempt from obeying rules because of some special status.

[MiniMe]

47. The father had cleared it with the assistant principal.

So technically, the kid wasn't breaking school rules. Perhaps the assistant principal should have told him to call the school office and they would pull the boy out of class, but I imagine that the time the soldiers have to call is limited and he may have used up all his time waiting for the office to track down the son.

I agree with the policy of no cell phones in school in general, but as with everything else, exceptions should be made at times. As long as the son wasn't abusing it and taking calls from others and saying it was his dad, I think this should be one of those exceptions.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TooBigaTent]

41. Everyone in the military CHOSE to enlist. There is no draft. Idolizing these killers

and giving them and theirs special status is just wrong. But, as Bush has taught Amerika, if you are the "right" kind of person, there are no consequences for bad behavior. Glad to see that you support him and his philosophy.

[Lars39]

42. Stop Loss negates that statement.

[TankLV]

60. You both made good points...

It IS a "choice" but over what - to afford college or get out of poverty like many "choose" to do?

and my son-in-law is on his 4th or 5th "stop loss" - hopefully he can escape with his life and body intact when it should end in December for him unless the WAR CRMINAL decides to unilaterally change it AGAIN...

[dysfunctional press]

63. no it doesn't. nobody was ever stop-lossed "into" the military...

and when they enlisted, the stop-loss provision was one of the terms they AGREED to in the contract that they're supposed to read before signing. i have no pity for wanna-be warriors who change their tune.

[Breeze54]

66. You'll be the first to cry HELP when the next flood or tornado wrecks Elgin, IL and no one will come

I hope that happens and then maybe you'll pull your head out of your butt.

[dysfunctional press]

70. no i won't. but it's very...human...of you to wish for harm to befall others...

your mother must be so proud.

[Breeze54]

72. You should know. You spew hatred daily on DU. You have a lot of experience.

Your breeder must be so proud. :puke:

[dysfunctional press]

77. such as? you're the one wishing for harm to befall others because of their opinions...

but since it's you, that makes it okay...:eyes:

[Breeze54]

80. Your reputation across the internet precedes you.

Seems everyone is aware of the hate you spew.

Pretty funny, that you of all people, would try to use that! :rofl:

Pot-Kettle-Black ? Can you say 'hypocrite'?

[dysfunctional press]

82. okaaay....since i spew so much hate, it must be easy for you to provide some examples...

but all you seem to be able to provide is this: :rofl:...:shrug:

it must be rough having to live in a world where other people have different opinions than yours, huh?

[Breeze54]

85. Laughing at you.

Having a differing opinion is one thing, but after you are shown facts repeatedly that contradict
your 'opinion'; you continue to spew hate and it doesn't seem to matter what the topic is about.
Google yourself. I think your banned on a few other places or at least it appears that way.

[dysfunctional press]

88. you apparently have me mistaken for someone else, then...

since you seem to think "your(sic) banned on a few other places or at least it appears that way"

what other places are you talking about...? because i'm not aware of any...:shrug:

you keep saying that i "spew hate", and i've asked repeatedly for examples- but you haven't been able to locate even one instance?

wassup widdat? :shrug:

[uppityperson]

75. Do you consider every single person who's ever joined military "wanna-be warrior"?

Do you believe everyone who has joined the military did it to be able to kill people?

[dysfunctional press]

84. pretty much. that IS the main purpose of the military and it's training.

especially under the flag of a belligerent capitalist empire.

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TooBigaTent]

46. Name one soldier currently killing Iraqis who was drafted.

[Breeze54]

50. Army Stop-Loss Program Forces 50,000 into Extended Duty - a back-door draft !

Army expanding 'stop loss' order to keep soldiers from leaving

Posted 1/5/2004 9:45 PM Updated 1/6/2004 12:39 AM

www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-01-05-army-troops_x.htm

By Tom Squitieri, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The Army will announce as early as Tuesday new orders that will forbid thousands of soldiers from leaving the service after they return this year from Iraq, Afghanistan and other fronts in the war against terrorism, defense officials said Monday.

The "stop loss" orders mean personnel who could otherwise leave the military when their volunteer commitments expire will be forced to remain to the end of their overseas deployments and up to another 90 days after they come home. "Stop movement" orders also bar soldiers from moving to new assignments during the restricted period. The orders do not extend any unit's stay overseas.

Although the orders cover all the approximately 160,000 returning troops, the Army said it estimates only about 7,000 of the returnees will have their time in the service involuntarily extended. Most deployed soldiers are not affected because they have service obligations that extend beyond their current deployments, Army Col. Elton Manske, chief of the Army's Enlisted Division, said Monday.

"This decision is really being driven by the readiness of units and the absolute intent to keep the units themselves intact down to as low as the squad and crew level, so we are assured of putting the best fighting force on the battlefield," Manske said.

Army officials also said Monday that the service is offering re-enlistment bonuses of up to $10,000 to soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. Soldiers currently in those countries and replacements could receive $5,000 to $10,000 for enlisting for at least three years of additional Army service.

The latest stop-loss orders will be announced after Congress is briefed and affected Army units are informed, defense officials said. The new orders are an expansion of similar orders imposed Nov. 13 on more than 110,000 active duty soldiers whose units are preparing to go to Iraq and Afghanistan between now and May. They represent the first major changing of the guard in Iraq since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations May 1.

"The use of stop loss is often an indication of a shortfall of available personnel," says Loren Thompson, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, a think tank based in Arlington, Va.

The Army's commitments include about 130,000 troops in Iraq, 11,000 in Kuwait, 11,500 in Afghanistan, 37,500 in South Korea and 44,000 in Japan.

Congress first gave stop-loss authority to the military after the Vietnam War, when the Pentagon faced difficulty in replacing departing combat soldiers. The Pentagon didn't use the authority until 1990, during the buildup to the Persian Gulf War. All four service branches have issued stop-loss orders since then. The Pentagon issued stop- loss orders in November 2002 for Reserve and National Guard units activated for the war against terrorism. The orders remain in effect. A stop loss was issued for active troops in February 2003, but rescinded in May 2003.

Contributing: Wire reports

Army Stop-Loss Program Forces 50,000 into Extended Duty

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2006/01/army_stop-loss_program_forces_50000_into_extended_duty_/

James Joyner | Monday, January 30, 2006

The AP has discovered the Army’s Stop-Loss policy, which is hardly news to those who have been paying attention. The sheer scope of the program might be somewhat surprising, however.

The U.S. Army has forced about 50,000 soldiers to continue serving after their voluntary stints ended under a policy called “stop-loss,” but while some dispute its fairness, court challenges have fallen flat. The policy applies to soldiers in units due to deploy for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Army said stop-loss is vital to maintain units that are cohesive and ready to fight. But some experts said it shows how badly the Army is stretched and could further complicate efforts to attract new recruits.

“As the war in Iraq drags on, the Army is accumulating a collection of problems that cumulatively could call into question the viability of an all-volunteer force,” said defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute think tank. “When a service has to repeatedly resort to compelling the retention of people who want to leave, you’re edging away from the whole notion of volunteerism.”

When soldiers enlist, they sign a contract to serve for a certain number of years, and know precisely when their service obligation ends so they can return to civilian life. But stop-loss allows the Army, mindful of having fully manned units, to keep soldiers on the verge of leaving the military. Under the policy, soldiers who normally would leave when their commitments expire must remain in the Army, starting 90 days before their unit is scheduled to depart, through the end of their deployment and up to another 90 days after returning to their home base.

Congressional critics have assailed stop-loss, and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry called it “a back-door draft.” The United States abolished the draft in 1973, but the all-volunteer military never before has been tested by a protracted war.

A report commissioned by the Pentagon called stop-loss a “short-term fix” enabling the Army to meet ongoing troop deployment requirements, but said such policies “risk breaking the force as recruitment and retention problems mount.” It was written by Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer. Thompson added, “The persistent use of stop-loss underscores the fact that the war-fighting burden is being carried by a handful of soldiers while the vast majority of citizens incur no sacrifice at all.”

Stop-loss certainly does undermine the voluntary nature of military service and it is no doubt unfair to force those who have already sacrificed to give even more. There is, however, no ready alternative. Sending units to war shorthanded or with last-minute replacements is too big a risk.

Further, there are two categories of people involved: those who have completed their entire service obligation and thos who have not. While soldiers enlist for periods of two, three, or four years of active duty, all thereby commit to eight years of total service. During ordinary circumstances, those remaining years can be served in the Reserve Component, including the non-drilling Individual Ready Reserve. While unfortunate, forcing those who still have several years’ obligation to stay on active duty is not “a back-door draft.”

The Army has, however, tried to stop-loss people in beyond their eight years. That is unconscionable in an all-volunteer force.

Elsewhere: http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=011105C">“Backdoor Draft?” TCS, 11 January 2005.

[uppityperson]

62. Oh yeah? Well, other than all of them...

Thank you for taking the time to post that and perhaps educate someone.
too big a tent sometimes, eh?

[Breeze54]

64. I know... it was just a 'few'...

:sarcasm: and I've noticed I've received no reply since. ;)

:hi:

[uppityperson]

69. And another, topic from just now

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3270791

[Breeze54]

76. Thanks for the heads up...

Disgusting!! Gheesh! :grr:

[dysfunctional press]

65. didn't they all agree to be stop-lossed if needed when they signed up in the first place?

fuck'em- they signed up to be killers- they should be proud to live up to their contractual obligations.

and the possibility of being stop-lossed is one of those obligations that they freely agreed to.

[Breeze54]

67. I hope you are flooded out of your home this year. Good Luck wih that!

Now that, I'd applaud whole heartedly.

[dysfunctional press]

71. i'm not dumb enough to buy a house in a flood plain, so i have no worries about that...

but it's very telling about what kind of a "human being" you are by the way that you freely wish misfortune on others. good luck with that.

[Breeze54]

73. There's always tornadoes coming to a town near you.

Just remember not to call for help because the 'help' that might have been there is stop-lossed in Iraq.

You are on your own. :woohoo:

[dysfunctional press]

79. i've always done just fine on my own- never had a need to call for help...

what a needy person you must be, that your first inclination is always to call for assistance...some of us like to stand on our own two feet, and are proud to do so...i can't imagine what a sad life it must be to always feel the need to rely on others...how bad for you. :cry:

[Breeze54]

81. LOL.... you are such a child.

Your day will come, little one, but no one will be there to help.

Good luck!! ;)

[dysfunctional press]

83. and yet you're the one calling names and wishing for harm to befall others...

how utterly adult? of you...:patriot:

[varkam]

89. Why should we punish kids, then, for the 'sins of their fathers'? eom

[Crabby Appleton]

35. It would for me. nt

[iamthebandfanman]

38. hhmmm lets see...

someone who broke the law or someone who puts their life on the line for A LIE their own government told them and forced them to go fight.

youre sick for even comparing the two.

[ItNerd4life]

74. I was thinking along the lines of

that there isn't any logic in the comparison. but your calling it 'sick' for comparing the two I think is more appropriate.

[JerseygirlCT]

87. Don't you think there's a difference? nt

[yardwork]

8. Unbelievable. I hope and trust that the suspension will be removed

and the student will be allowed to make up the work.

For college-bound high school students, a two-day suspension can make the difference between getting into a competitive college or not. This young man's life can be affected drastically just because of the nasty, small-minded, mean behavior of this school.

And what happened to "support our troops?"

[chknltl]

10. Kieth Olberman needs to spend a moment with this! eom

[CreekDog]

11. Two day suspension for taking any call during school is excessive

for taking a call from one's father stationed in Iraq, the suspension is an embarassment to that school and an apparent violation of an agreement they made with parents beforehand.

if that kid gets suspended for this, then somebody should get fired.

the suspension was excessive ergo, the response should be excessive.

:banghead:

[yardwork]

13. Note - this happened in Dallas/Fort Worth.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. I thought it was closer to Killeen.

[Seeking Serenity]

20. This is so. The dateline of the story just was Fort Worth

probably because that's where the writer of the article was located.

[yardwork]

22. I apologize. I was making the point that it happened in Texas.

I'm not ragging on Texas, but it's a little ironic, given the "elitest" crap we've heard the Democrats accused of during the past couple of days.

[nebenaube]

57. no it didn't

This happened at CCHS, Copperas Cove is 12 miles west of Killeen Texas. At least ninety percent of the students at that school are military dependents. The rest of the families in that town either work on Fort Hood or make their living off of the soldiers at Fort Hood. I know this school and this shit doesn't surprise me one bit.

[Ilsa]

14. Copperas Cove Is on the edge of FORT HOOD, for CRISSAKES!

How can these school authorities be so insensitive? Brainless "zero tolerance" policies.

http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=Copperas+Cove,+TX,+USA&um=1&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=image

[slackmaster]

23. School district's Web site sports a very interesting banner!

See http://www.ccisd.com/ccisd/site/default.asp

The high school's principal is Dr. Carol Saxenian - [e-mail]

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. Sad

I would respond that no, you don't support the troops at your high school.

[barbtries]

52. now there's a great irony

we support our troops and draw the line when it comes to one of them having the comfort of hearing his son's voice from thousands of miles away as they are separated by occupation.

[aikoaiko]

26. some things are worth the consequences doled out by idiots.

High school is as good a time to learn that lesson as any.

[Breeze54]

29. I wish you had included what state this happened in in your OP...

Not trying to be overly critical but it is pertinent to the story. Texas. Fucking Texas! :grr:
I'm still trying to load the page for the story but saw an ad for corpus Christ... if this school was near me, I'd go there in the AM and picket the assholes!! Instead, they should be bombarded by phone calls and e-mails, IMHO. This is what is happening to the "caring" hearts of Americans now. The war DOESN'T EXIST!!!!! There are no families hurting everyday in America knowing their loved one is in danger 24/7 in a war zone. Americans just don't give a rat's ass and this fucking asshole of a teacher and a lying principle are gleaming examples of the heartlessness that is wafting across the USA like a huge ugly smog cloud. :grr:

Teen Suspended After Accepting Call From Father In Iraq

POSTED: 4:26 pm CDT April 14, 2008

"FORT WORTH, Texas --

A simple phone call to a Texas teenager is causing controversy across the nation."

more...

-----------

Live Poll: Should Teen Have Been Suspended?

Should the teen have been suspended for accepting a phone call from his father who was in Iraq?

Choice Votes Percentage of 1892 Votes

Yes 108 6%

No 1784 94%

Thanks for taking part in our live poll.

-------

Hill's mother said the principal e-mailed his teachers to let them know he had permission to take calls from his father.

"My husband had an agreement with the assistant principal, Mr. Fletcher. He had spoken to him before he left, told him
that both my sons, Brandon and Joshua, and if he called it was, you know, to accept the call, to let them have it," she said.

Hill's mother is now working to get the suspension removed from her son's record.

:grr: :argh:

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. Sorry I used the title of the article

which I usually do.

The high school is near Ft Hood.

[Orsino]

32. The principal gives permission, and yet the child is suspended?

The principal needs to have a long, frank discussion with himself.

[MiniMe]

48. I think the OP said that it was the assistant principal who gave permission

Its very possible that this was a communication problem. However, when the AP found out about this, he should have stepped forward and said something. I would also hope that the agreement was part of the kids "permanent record" so this wouldn't have happened. I would hope that a principal would read the kids record before suspending.

[Crabby Appleton]

34. The kid dd the right thing. nt

[cynatnite]

36. I hope KO got this...

What freakin' idiots. :grr:

[Johonny]

37. suspended?

For a cell phone call. I get that they can be disruptive to class and all, but suspension seems a bit harsh for this period. In my day we got detention for disrupting class and suspended for actually violating the law.

[Ganja Ninja]

43. File this under "Some people just don't know when to quit."

:eyes:

[tuckessee]

44. Special privileges for the storm troopers and their families. n/t

[mainegreen]

54. Oh give me a break.

What a ridiculous statement.

[proud2BlibKansan]

56. How insensitive of you!

Congratulations!!

[NYC Liberal]

58. Even if you think so,

why should the child be punished when the mother and the principal had an agreement?

Did the child choose for his father to go to Iraq? No.

And yes, I'd be saying the same thing if it was a parent who was in a life-threatening situation other than Iraq.

[TankLV]

61. wow - just - wow...

I don't know what to say - and that's sayin' something comming from ME...

[BoneDaddy]

49. Give me a break

I work in a school and if this was the case our principal and most teachers would not have a problem with it. WTF is wrong with people?

[barbtries]

51. heartless and brainless

what a combo

[brystheguy]

53. A lot of interesting discussion here

Cell phones are disruptive in schools, no doubt about it. I am hard-pressed to relieve this boy though just because his father is in the military and it might be the "last" phone call that he would ever get from his father. So, is it OK for a firefighter or police officer to call every day during school because it might be his last day? What about parents that work on oil rigs and don't see their kids for months at a time? A lot of the outrage here is because the school had arranged for this and it wasn't handled properly. That's where the blame should be in this situation. What would our reactions be if it hadn't been scheduled in advance?

[proud2BlibKansan]

55. Yes, the point is that the school gave permission

for this kid to take the call, then suspended him when he did.

As a teacher, I would suggest that the school encourage the dad to call the school office and let them page the kid to take the phone call in the office. Or, they could transfer the call to the classroom where the kid is in class when the call comes in. It's really not that big of a problem.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

68. You beat me to the post!

I hate stupid people and these people qualify.

[Buzz Clik]

78. High Schools out of control.

"We have rules. No brains, just rules."

[JerseygirlCT]

86. Oh brother.

OTOH, if the kid is smart, he'll write a super essay on the subject and use it for his college applications!

Bureaucracy at its worst here.