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Student gets Suspended for Answering Call From Dad in Iraq

foxnews.com — A Texas sergeant and his son recently found themselves separated not only by an eight-hour time difference, several bodies of water, hundreds of miles and a war, but by a high school official who suspended the boy for answering his dad's call during class.

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  • skeletonkeeper, on 04/13/2008, -45/+623To the school official: YO STUPID!!! Try switching places with the kid for a minute. His dad, his best friend, in an area where he could be dead before hanging up, calls him. You bet I would have taken the call!
    • ufia, on 04/13/2008, -257/+33His dad doesn't know his son go to school? Class is not the place to answer your cell phone, find a better time. And what do you mean he could be dead before hanging up? It's not like his dad was calling from an al-qaeda phone booth right in the middle of a firefight. How stupid are you? He was as safe as you and I when making the phone call.
      • solidus636, on 04/13/2008, -20/+154How stupid are YOU?! His dad is off at war, so he could easily die at any moment.... I don't live with my father, but if I were as close to him as this kid was...you bet your ASS i would've taken the phone call.
        • pintomp3, on 04/13/2008, -13/+23you could say the same for policemen, firemen, or any number of dangerous careers.
          • zeabu, on 04/13/2008, -2/+26My dad is a fireman, and although there's always the chance he doesn't return after duty, chances are far more higher for a soldier in a warzone. That and the difference my dad comes home every day, and that soldier once in 6 months. Those and the difference In Iraq they sleep when people in the US are working/schoolgoing/... and viceversa.
          • durant0s, on 04/13/2008, -2/+11and when your dad is a fireman, you know he might not return, but you also know if he does you will see him that night. Regardless this kid wasn't gonna see his dad in months, he can pick up the phone and talk to him whenever he wants in my book. Whatever the teacher was teaching him probably wasn't doing a good job of teaching it anyways.
          • linagee, on 04/13/2008, -7/+4How about: High school student? That's a pretty dangerous career these days.
          • nospinhere, on 04/13/2008, -3/+6Last time I checked, the Military is the only occupation where you can be ordered into an operation that will result in almost certain death. If you disobey that order, the penelty is death.

            Most police officers never fire their gun, and If police and fireman disobey an order, they get fired and go onto have successful careers in the private security market.
          • pintomp3, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2you do not get the death penalty for refusing orders. firemen riun into burning buildings, that's pretty dangerous.
          • Laughsatyou, on 04/14/2008, -2/+1pshh who gives a ***** about police officers.
          • nospinhere, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2pin, death is the highest penelty, though these days it will most likely just result in jail time.

            How often does the average fireman run into a burning building? Now how many times a day, every day for 15 months, does a soldier run into a house or a situation where gunfire is exchanged.

            Sorry, not to take anything away from the brave cops and firefighters, but you can't even compare the two.
      • TomOwens, on 05/11/2008, -5/+73That's rather cold. If I get a phone call during class (my phone's always on vibrate as to not disrupt the class), I see who it is. If I must take the call, I leave the room. There's no problem with that at all, and anyone that has a problem with that needs to grow up.
        • ichbeineinrcg, on 04/13/2008, -6/+19Are you in college or high school, though? In University the students are legally adults and you have to have that level of trust, but can you imagine the chaos if a public high school let people step out to answer whatever phone call they felt was important?
          • Bootes, on 04/13/2008, -2/+15Most of my high school teachers let students leave the class whenever they wanted. Of course it was supposed to be to go to the bathroom, but the teacher has no way of knowing what you do outside of the classroom. No it wasn't very chaotic, and it was a lot less disturbing to the class, because we didn't have to stop the class while the student asked permission.
          • nomadofthehills, on 04/13/2008, -0/+6Depends, in my AP and college level classes, we were allowed to leave when we wanted. The teachers gave us that freedom, and we respected them enough to not break that trust.
      • guntario, on 04/13/2008, -80/+13I swear, this nation has turned into a bunch of pansies. I agree with you ufia. He couldn't wait to get home to talk to him? His Mom should have known better. If not, then she should have read the rules about cellphone usage.
        • netant, on 04/13/2008, -54/+12Its not even about whether the kid should have talked to his dad at home.

          Apparently, if you serve in Iraq, you have the RIGHT to disrupt a class, and interfere with other children's education. I wonder what the policy is at military base schools.
          • Walker2323, on 04/13/2008, -10/+7You're so stupid.
          • Spottswood, on 04/13/2008, -4/+22This is the kind of crap you're force fed at teacher's union rallies. Bunch of arrogant self-righteous idiots covering each others asses when they're in trouble and heralding each others acheivements as heroic the rest of the time, when in fact most of them are ***** at their jobs. Teachers union are worse than the fuzz
          • Evermin7, on 04/13/2008, -1/+3Who are you people?!
        • zwaldowski, on 04/13/2008, -7/+29Do you not ***** understand the concept of time zones?
      • mystcnurse, on 04/13/2008, -7/+47In the state where I live, there is a fifty percent high school drop out rate. It isn't much better in most places. If teens were treated like people at school instead of herds of animals, maybe there would be a better retention rate. I think the kid had every right to take the call, and he should have been able to look up at his teacher and say, excuse me, this is an emergency, and walk out into the hall and talk to his father. It may have been the only time he was able to call his son. A friend of mine, whose husband is deployed, only gets to speak with him occasionally, and it is only when HE can call her. She has missed his calls a number of times and it always bums her out severely.
        • ubuwalker31, on 04/13/2008, -3/+8Inaccurate. Seventeen of the nation’s 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent. Nationally, about 70 percent of U.S. students graduate on time, with the remainder dropping out. I think the only states with rates in the mid-50% range are D.C., South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Nevada, and New Mexico. Its still pretty piss poor performance.
          I agree about everything else you say though, every rule has limited and important exceptions, and educators need to learn when it is appropriate for rules to be bent.
          • mystcnurse, on 04/13/2008, -0/+11Okay, I didn't look it up. I live in South Carolina, so I'm surrounded by the worst of the worst. I'm glad ALL schools aren't ineffective as ours. But we do have pretty beaches :)
        • publiclurker, on 04/13/2008, -16/+0Has she thought about getting a no contract cellphone? The minuted are limited, but I'm only paying 6$ per month, and in a case like this I'd sleep with the thing.
        • Pixelante, on 04/13/2008, -7/+3Teens ARE herds of animals. They are lower beasts. They are things. They should be beaten up with bamboo canes on their first day just to teach them which way the wind blows, then beaten up at random each every day so they don't forget what they are. Torture should be the norm. No semester should pass without the gallows being raised.
        • CurlyMike139125, on 04/13/2008, -3/+8Dear Pixelante:
          I clicked your name, because after reading your horrid comment, I wanted to see just what kind of person would write something like that. This was the first thing I saw:

          "The best death is cardiac arrest due to overstressful sexual intercourse. You come and you go."

          That certainly sounds like something would come from an animal, or a "lower beast". Thus, you are a teenager, and are subject to torture and random beatings.

          Have a nice day.
          • JoeCool51, on 04/13/2008, -1/+4While I don't agree with Pixelante's comment, did anyone else besides me laugh when they read his quote by CurlyMike...or even mutter an "I see what you did there" ?
          • RevoFM, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1Don't be too hard on him hagnar, if what you said is true then Pixelante forgot his /s and should be beaten for it.
        • repick3, on 04/13/2008, -0/+3I think Pixelante's comment was a joke...
          The only death better than cardiac arrest due to overstressful sexual intercourse would be like... Ahh *****, its pretty hard to beat that :P
        • nancyu, on 04/20/2008, -0/+1 I have to agree with you mystcnurse. My seventeen year old son dropped out of school recently, and It definitely wasn't because he couldn't do the work, He was at the top of the class academically. It is the political crap, that he couldn't deal with. I was heartbroken by his decision, but I can't say I can blame him It just sucks that these are the people who have power over us, and if we don't conform to their rules we are the ones who pay the price of losing out on our education.
      • ausoff2, on 04/13/2008, -8/+1I think that the school administrations rules are wrong in the first place; Since it was an important call, answering it and walking out of the class Should have been appropriate. Having said that, the school does have rules. The kid knew it, the dad knew it, and the teacher certainly knew it too. In my high school, if your fone so much as rang in class you'd be in trouble. I'd hate to think what would have happened in my school.
        • kirralin23, on 04/14/2008, -0/+5But this father discussed it with the school before he deployed. That changes everything.
      • Snick422, on 04/13/2008, -6/+2You're right, it's sick that you're getting buried. People are so reactionary these days, they want to get mad over nothing. The dad should have called his kid while the kid was home! It's not like he was in a firefight atm. The kid needs to grow up if he can't handle waiting a few hours for the call. It was a major disruption to the class, maybe if he spent less time on the phone and more time taking notes, the teacher would have let it slide.
      • JRobL, on 04/13/2008, -6/+1I also agree with ufia, I don't think the dad was in any immediate danger. While it is unfortunate that the kid was suspended, rules is rules. If you don't universally enforce them, they don't mean anything. Also, there was definitely a chance to set up a call time with the school. It's not like the school wants to stop kids from getting phone calls. I'm sure if they would have set something up, the school would have sympathized and given him as much time to talk as he wanted.
      • hellokerryberry, on 04/13/2008, -0/+8I think you're forgetting the fact that it might be difficult for his dad to contact him. It's not as if he's a few states away and the kid can just give him a call later when he's less busy. My friend is serving in Iraq right now and he sure as hell can't just pick up a phone whenever he wants to call home.
        • chromerium, on 04/13/2008, -1/+7Dugg. I had a good friend in Iraq and he said that the times to use computers/phones was highly regulated. You would basically take a number, get in line, and wait, when it was your turn you had like 15 minutes or whatever and that was it for the week.

          I'm not sure of the specifics, but I don't think those in service can just call when they want. Maybe someone who isn't talking out of their arse can post and confirm.
    • unreg, on 04/13/2008, -116/+25Sure, one can look at the situation and think what a heartless, cruel school system. Then again, at what point would we draw the line regarding cell phones in the class room. You have to have rules. Those rules need to be followed. I'm pretty sure the kid wasn't subject to corporal punishment.

      Maybe the kid should have let the teacher know he had / was expecting a very important call. Asking ahead of time can gain you lots of points.

      • zwaldowski, on 04/13/2008, -5/+32He had no idea the call was coming.
        • schlottj, on 04/13/2008, -9/+2then his phone shouldnt of been on in class, the school has a phone number a parent can call if he needs to get in contact with a child.
          • neo1513, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2Or, he could call his kids cell phone to cut the hassle. But aside from that its "shouldn't have",
          • rrbest, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2You really shouldn't have written shouldnt of.
      • Lythium, on 04/13/2008, -6/+38My relationship with my family takes precedence over pissant school rules - and I _don't_ have family members in dangerous careers. Unreq, you really need to reconsider your priorities -- or perhaps you need to learn basic empathy, I can't quite decide which.
        • ichbeineinrcg, on 04/13/2008, -13/+3You're right that context matters, but you need to consider the context that the cell phone rule was made in. Your "pissant" annoyance might be preventing hundreds of hours of lost learning time and disruptions to the classroom.

          This is the joy of teaching in the schools anymore.
        • linagee, on 04/13/2008, -12/+3If you're younger than 18, you have no opinion in the matter.
      • zeabu, on 04/13/2008, -3/+11School should not be prison.
        • schlottj, on 04/13/2008, -9/+3it also shouldnt be a mall of ignorant children who think they know more and are better than their teachers/principals

          but it is, adding cell phones to the equation mess with the kids that actually want to learn
          its not like there isnt any other phones in a hundred mile radius, the school itself has dozens of numbers u can call to get intouch with your child

          not having a cell phone in class would be like, oh wait the last 1000 years no ones had cellphones in class, it never lead to the destruction of the world
        • adminmatt, on 04/13/2008, -0/+10schlottj you just don't ***** get it. this kid wasn't talking to his buddy about nothing, he was talking to his father serving in another country. that kind of call is important and i would have taken it too. the kid has no idea if his dad will be around to call again.

          screw your bleeding heart *****.
        • ichbeineinrcg, on 04/13/2008, -4/+1His bleeding heart *****? You're the one screaming "THE CHILDREN! THE CHILDREN! MY GOD, WILL NO ONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?!?"

          There's enough that we don't know about this story that anyone making a snap judgment against the school is seriously overreacting.
          • adminmatt, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2is your name 'schlottj'? didn't think so. re-read my comment then get back to us telling us how much of a tool you are.

            good'ay
      • aluminumpork, on 04/13/2008, -3/+2I have a feeling the kid tried to talk to his dad -in- class, that wouldn't be right. The article didn't say he stepped out. If you answer your phone, find out quickly what it is, tell the teacher it's an emergency and step out, things would go differently.
    • Spottswood, on 04/13/2008, -17/+76To both the two above me getting dugg down: you make me sick.
      The dad is calling his son when his son's in class. That leaves two obvious possibilities of why hes calling for the kid to think about before he answers the call. Either the dad forgot that he was in school cuz of the time difference. Or he's in trouble and wants to talk to his kid. What kind of son/daughter would not answer that call?
      • guntario, on 04/13/2008, -2/+46Or it leaves the option that was stated in the article. The one where it says the kid "needed" to talk to his Dad, so his Mom had his Dad call him in the middle of class.
    • cygnus2112, on 04/13/2008, -9/+52We don't need no education
      We dont need no thought control
      No dark sarcasm in the classroom
      Teachers leave them kids alone
      Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
      All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
      All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

      "Wrong, Do it again!"
      "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?"
      "You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds, stand still laddy!"
      • captnkurt, on 04/13/2008, -29/+13--We don't need no education--

        Yes you do, you just used a double negative.
        Moss, "The IT Crowd"
        • eddy23170, on 04/13/2008, -11/+1you know what he meant, asslick...are you trying to be a "teacher" too???....that's the WHOLE POINT......chill........out.........
        • calbff, on 04/13/2008, -4/+10Would you have been happier if he misquoted the lyrics?
        • ZigVicious, on 04/13/2008, -1/+9NO. ***** ALL YOU GUYS.
          I dugg you up CaptnKurt.
          He's quoting the ***** I.T. Crowd.
          • captnkurt, on 04/13/2008, -0/+4Thanks for the backup, brother. I was wondering if that was going to come off sounding like I was a grammar Nazi instead of just quoting a really funny TV show.
          • RevoFM, on 04/14/2008, -0/+5That TV Show is the best, obviously the people that dugg you down haven't seen it.
          • Acolyte357, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Is that aired in the US?
          • RevoFM, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1Sorry for the late reply, no it's not but you can find full episodes on YouTube.
        • uremomsnitemare, on 04/13/2008, -1/+13pink floyd > i.t. crowd
    • sjl127, on 04/13/2008, -11/+5I can't believe there's negative diggs here...
    • warkwark, on 04/13/2008, -14/+1MOSHI MOSHI?

      BLARG I'M SUSPENDED
      • sovietninja, on 04/13/2008, -2/+9Thanks warkwark, for showing us the extent of your superior knowledge of the Japanese language and American onomatopoeia.
    • masterfoo, on 04/13/2008, -10/+27Speaking as a teacher, I can see both sides of the argument. I have students that pick up the phone in class, and try to tell me it's their mom when after checking the cell phone you can see that it wasn't. However, I can understand the importance and immediacy of picking up the phone to talk to your Dad or other relative who is in Iraq.

      The problem is that there was a rule that was clearly broken but in my opinion for a good reason. Do you punish the student because he broke the rule and make sure the rest of the school knows that you can't do that? Or do you start allowing exceptions?

      In my opinion though, it seems more the Father's fault, if he knew his kid was in school why not just call the school phone and have him sent to the office to talk instead?
      • cygnus2112, on 04/13/2008, -0/+19We don't know very many details, but it sounded like the kid was distressed. The father and son were close, do you fault them for that?

        I agree with you, it's a gray line. But as an educator, you must admit that a child's wellbeing and ability to learn has as much to do with what's going on at home as what's going on at school. Suspending the kid sets a very bad precedent. We expect our teenagers to start acting like adults, yet whip out the rule-stick the moment one starts acting like a human being.

        The school was out of line. Yes, they should have talked to the student and the parents about appropriate times for phone calls - but suspension?
        • masterfoo, on 04/13/2008, -0/+12I completely agree with you, and suspension was definitely too harsh. Speaking with both parties about what happened to ensure that something different happens in the future would have been the correct solution in my opinion.
          • Smuikas, on 04/13/2008, -0/+5Yeah, but that would have required, well, intelligence! Last time I saw a smart high school administrator was when I watched American History X. Most of them in my experience have been promoted to the level of their incompetence ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle )
      • Lythium, on 04/13/2008, -7/+33"it seems more the Father's fault, if he knew his kid was in school why not just call the school phone and have him sent to the office to talk instead"

        Let me break it down for you:
        His father... is in... IRAQ. With me so far? Moving on.

        1. Even if he is in a civilian position (which seems unlikely, considering the article says he is a sergeant), the situation is very tenuous. He is in a warzone, for chrissakes, not at a Caribbean resort. Tense situation, limited time.... calling through the school office takes a lonnnnng time, which means by the time his son gets to the phone (assuming he is even called down for it), the father's window of opportunity may have passed. He may only have certain times of day free; due to time differences, it may be that he can ONLY call his son during school hours.
        2. International calls are expensive. Like, VERY expensive. Again - why wait?
        3. Connections on international calls are notoriously unreliable. If he had his son called down to the office, he would have had to wait at the minimum 3-5 minutes, if his son's high school is bigger than the average McDonald's. In that time, even if he didn't get called out for an emergency, he may very well have lost the connection.

        Give me a break.... I'm not a rebel by any stretch of the imagination, and I respect the necessity for rules and structure in a school environment. But as I said above: my family will ALWAYS take precedence over your rules, your convenience, even your well-being. It's his FATHER we're talking about. Why do some people think they have a right to more respect and consideration than a father who is his son's best friend, who is in constant danger, and of whom his son is probably very proud?
        • linagee, on 04/13/2008, -21/+2Why do people always feel the need to be connected, right now, always? Send an email instead. Let the son read it at his leisure. Attach a photo even. (Can't do that with a phone call.)
      • mancat, on 04/13/2008, -0/+14"Do you punish the student because he broke the rule and make sure the rest of the school knows that you can't do that? Or do you start allowing exceptions?"

        The answer is to USE COMMON SENSE. I'm not accusing you directly of this, but... Many teachers and school administrators seem to completely lack any ability to form reason based on common sense, and instead choose to follow "zero tolerance" policies at all times. Needs to stop.
        • ichbeineinrcg, on 04/13/2008, -0/+7You want zero tolerance policies to go away, talk to the legislature. The prevailing way of thinking seems to have been that since "3 strikes, you're out!" was good enough for the adults, we don't need to use discretion with the kids any more either.

          One of my first graders was kicked out of school on an emergency suspension earlier this year because he said he was going to shoot one of the girls in my class. 40 years ago he would have gotten 4 whacks with a paddle and been told not to do it again; 12 years ago (pre-Columbine) he would have talked with the counselor and had a few hours picking up trash around the playground. Now he gets a 3-week vacation and a 1-on-1 aide to help him with "socialization".

          I think that more than any other institution the schools reflect the society and culture around them. Sometimes they show off the very best; sometimes (perhaps even more often) the very worst.
          • tech42er, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1"The prevailing way of thinking seems to have been that since "3 strikes, you're out!" was good enough for the adults"

            It doesn't work with adults either. There's a reason we have jury nullification and judge's discretion, so we can inject common sense into the justice system.
          • ichbeineinrcg, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1Tech43er: I agree, in spirit, but the other side of that coin is mandatory minimum sentences for things like possession with intent where the law isn't always applied fairly and the punishment falls way out of line from the crime.
          • mancat, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2I would love to talk to the state legislature about this. In Washington state we seem to have a particularly viral case of "socialisation" in schools, as you describe it. I am not a parent, I have no experience with children. I have only common sense. I feel like I'd probably be ignored.

            Just ranting about it a bit...
      • TheCash, on 04/13/2008, -2/+1Teachers, people, like you make me sick.
      • snitni4, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1you may not have to start giving exceptions to the rules but you should try to come to an agreement that is not as harsh as being suspended for something like this, I'm a senior in high school right now who just went through the college application process last winter and i can tell you that on pretty much every single forum you fill out at some point it will ask if you were ever suspended or expelled or something along those lines, so now this kid when he puts out applications will have to say that he was suspended which does not look good on your record for schools, mind you they do give you the chance to explain yourself generally but still the chance is that he could be turned down from the college of his dreams just because of this one incident which probably shouldn't have ended the way it did
    • everett3, on 04/13/2008, -3/+26We don't have the whole story. We don't know how the kid went about it. What if the teacher asked him to get off the phone and he was hostile? Or if he was playing with the phone all day because he was expecting his call. Lately these kind of "would you believe it" quick blurbs are falling apart more often than not.
      • thor123, on 04/13/2008, -6/+5The whole story is this. No cell phone use in class! Period.! These kids with their cell phones and the parents who provide them as if the kid is some how in some sort of jeopardy of getting into some sort of life threatening situation that perhaps the all mighty cell phone will miraculasly save them from, as you can deduce from my rant,makes me insane.
        I'll concede, let the kid have the stupid phone. Just turn the frigging thing off during school hours, their is absolutely no justifiable reason to have it on.
        How the hell did every generation prior to the cell phone ever survive without them?
        Kids today are too coddled. They are put up on pedestals like they are little trophy's, Give me a break!
        As this happens the wimping of America goes on. God forbid a child gets disappointed about anything.
        As for this relative situation. Call your kid when he is out of school. or, leave him a voice mail on his turned off phone. I'll put myself in the shes of both these individuals, I have two children of my own , Love them to death and they love me, we have a great relationship. My kids would know that the school policy is no cell phone use during class and we would both respect the rule, simple as that, it is not an unfair policy. You are at school to learn not play with the phone.
        I am sure many will think it unfair because his father is in the military, I think not . I simply don't think It is any excuse to be an exception to the school policy.
        I troubles me to think of where we are headed as a society.
    • SebHughes, on 04/13/2008, -1/+3When my dad was in Iraq at the start of the war, it was always great getting a phone call from him. Ok he phoned home. But either way getting a phone call from your dad where ever you may be, you take it and should not get introuble.
    • linagee, on 04/13/2008, -7/+3So everyone should have a special ringtone that says: "This is an important call from thousands of miles away from someone in my family"?? How do you expect the school official to know? They are only enforcing the policy. The dad should have called the school to talk to the kid if it was the only time he had available. I think this is just stupidity in action: "We have this special circumstance so now we want to be excused from the punishment."
      • adminmatt, on 04/13/2008, -2/+6"Get off the phone!"
        "no,this is important, it's from my dad serving in Iraq."

        problem solved
    • Skooma714, on 04/13/2008, -2/+11Bureaucrat doesn't care. He was interrupting indoctrination.
    • schlottj, on 04/13/2008, -9/+2its messed up the he got suspended, but its the school rules to not have cell phones turned on in class, he obviously had it turned on.

      if he was expecting a call that dayfrom his father in iraq, he should have stayed home
      if he wasnt expecting a call and just had his phone on in class, he deserves to be punished

      we all have family serving, how far would a school day get if half the kids in class were talkin on the phone.
      whos to say that he was even talking to his dad, at the time the principal/teachers had no idea, all they saw was a kid talking on a phone in class

      making it ok for him to do this will just spark more ignorant kids into talkin on phones in class, and claiming its an emergency, if its an emergency the school has phone numbers that parents can call to get ahold of their kids
    • DocMidd, on 04/13/2008, -0/+3"we all have family serving" --- less than half of one percent of the US serves in the armed forces and barely a percentage of that is in Iraq.
    • defectDS, on 04/13/2008, -1/+4I still have teachers that expect us to leave our cell phones at home every day...
    • expatcatalyst, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1To the school official: http://digg.com/educational/Hasidic_Principal_Tran ...
    • TitanX13, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2if my dad was in iraq and i got a call. i would of gladly taken it and maybe even throw in a ***** you
    • TechyLah, on 04/13/2008, -2/+4You deserve every positive digg you got for stating the obvious so succinctly.
      Rules are important, but THE EXCEPTION PROVES THE RULE!
      This is why we don't put machines but PEOPLE in charge of things.
      A person, a human being, is given the power to supersede rules.
      Bottom line - the kid should be proud to take whatever punishment he gets as a badge of honor - for being a human being,
      the pinnacle of creation, rather than a machine!
    • DCMacHead, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2I nominate the decision maker responsible for suspending the student for "Douche of the Year 2008".
  • ennTOXX, on 04/13/2008, -14/+132I agree I would've taken the call & left the class room, but how do you think amidst a phone call lof this caliber?... :||
    • guntario, on 04/13/2008, -19/+4The kid requested that his Dad call him. Maybe I would agree if the kid hadn't talked to his Dad in a while and was surprised by the call. This is not the case, however.
      • Lythium, on 04/13/2008, -1/+12He requested the dad to call.... However, chances are very good that his father is on an irregular schedule, so the call could have come in at any time. Do you not grok the concept of "war"?
        • guntario, on 04/13/2008, -3/+2I was in the military for 9 years and my brother did two tours in Iraq. I think I do.
    • LukasSmith, on 04/13/2008, -36/+6Kids know that they aren't allowed to leave cellphones on in classrooms. They need to respect the rules. So what if they can't answer the phone in class to talk to a father in the field of battle. I think the father should be ashamed the child has no discipline. He needs to ship that boy off to military school to learn discipline! At the very least the kid could turn the sound off and only use vibrate option. He would have to have an old asss cellphone to not have that option.
      • mystcnurse, on 04/13/2008, -2/+7nobody said that the cell phone rang. It was probably on vibrate, but he answered it.
      • cygnus2112, on 04/13/2008, -2/+21Get out the ruler and rap the kid on the knuckles! Our kids today: so disrespectful for taking calls from their parents who sacrifice their lives for this country. Gotta keep them in line or they'll end up like you!
      • LukasSmith, on 04/13/2008, -5/+5Have you ever been to a public school classroom? We're not talking about the angels of God here. Hell I'm surprised these teachers even enforce discipline but I'm glad. Wtf do you think a teacher is supposed to say when a kid's phone rings and he say "oh dont worry im talking to my dad. In Iraq." Oh sure yes I believe you son like all the other hundreds of time some kids phone rang. The fact is if the phone call was a matter of life and death his mother or legal guardian should have contacted the school and explained. The only people who would see otherwise is 1/2 of digg users who are high schoolers and believe schools are playgrounds. Do you people not remember the story of the girl who wrote an essay about her dad in Iraq so she could get Hanna Montana tickets?
        • cygnus2112, on 04/14/2008, -1/+2So we should just assume all teenagers are lying and trying to take advantage?

          You should just stop responding. My opinion of your opinions isn't improving with more detail.
    • Modizzle, on 04/13/2008, -8/+11It's hard to pass judgment. Fox News is not a credible source.
    • po43292, on 04/13/2008, -3/+3Well being that the father had previously talked to the vice principal of the school, maybe they could have set up an arrangement to call the school and then page the student to the office to take the call there.
    • twtmc, on 04/13/2008, -1/+3Well here's how I am seeing this story; it said that half the students had at least one parent deployed in Iraq. If that is the case, wouldn't they have to make exceptions to the no cell phone rule for half their students? That would get pretty disrupting during class.

      Also, side note, it's Fox News. I can't find a Cove High School in Texas (Copperas Cove seems to be the only one with "cove" in the name, maybe they meant that.
    • burnblue, on 04/13/2008, -0/+3Exactly, I don't see a problem if he leaves the classroom.. most students are allowed to leave classrooms, even if they have to ask first. It's not prison. It would only need Dad to hang on for a couple of seconds. Now the article doesn't tell us how the student handled it.. did he start talking to Dad there in the middle of the classroom? There are clearly rules against that sort of thing.
  • FrankRizzo69, on 04/13/2008, -67/+770saxeniac@ccisd.com
    Copperas Cove High School Principal
    Dr. Carol Saxenian

    Light her up Diggers this is absolutely disgusting.
    • MacGuy88, on 04/13/2008, -20/+13well done.
    • unreg, on 04/13/2008, -112/+24Why. She was probably just following school policy. A rule is just that, a rule.
      • Tyorant, on 04/13/2008, -12/+51If you follow every rule like a souless robot you might as well be dead.
        There are constantly situations where one has the choice to defy the rules or follow procedure, even if they feel strongly against the procedure, then it's just down to you if you're willing to risk your neck.
        Maybe she did sympathise with the guy, but didn't have the balls to do what's really right.
        • guntario, on 04/13/2008, -23/+6Or maybe she knows what really happened? It's obvious you either didn't read the article, or you didn't comprehend it.
        • fuzzybeard, on 04/14/2008, -1/+1Wouldn't that be ovaries instead of balls?
      • HYPEractive, on 04/13/2008, -3/+53Rule breakers change society. If we followed rules, than we'd still be under prohibition, segregation would still be going on, and women wouldn't have a right to vote.

        An unjust rule is a rule to be broken
        • JoCoProductions, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read...
      • Alegoo92, on 04/13/2008, -0/+14That's why I hate 'no tolerance' policies
        • gernblansted, on 04/13/2008, -1/+3Yup. Zero Tolerance IS intolerance, by definition.

          The US teaches intolerance to children in schools as a matter of course. Then more and more Americans wonder why US society is so easily slipping into totalitarian rule. Rules become inflexible, unbreakable, and eventually no longer serve as a means to better society so much as they become an end in themselves.

          I'm not talking about laws against murder and truly damaging crimes, I'm talking about every day situations which call for judgment calls being replaced by robotic lobotomized policy.
      • nixfu, on 04/13/2008, -1/+12
        "A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation."
        - Thomas Jefferson letter to John B. Calvin 20 Sep 1810.
      • sovietninja, on 04/13/2008, -0/+6Street-Level Bureaucrats, even those in schools (which typically implement policy through a bottom down approach), are always allowed to use discretion in matters like this. It was her decision whether to suspend him or not. She clearly wanted to make an example of him and for that she should be punished. It's not like this matter would have placed her on the line, this is similar to when a student may be failing a class but due to medical issues the school administration give the kid a pass instead of a fail, using their discretion.
      • blitzkriegpunk, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2Let's all be good little automaton drones and do everything our "authority" figures tell us!
        • fuzzybeard, on 04/14/2008, -1/+1Why not, it worked in Germany in the late '30s?

          /Godwined
      • ChokingVictims, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2Bureaucratic Ritualism - signifies a preoccupation with rules and regulations to the point of thwarting an organization's goals.
      • fuzzybeard, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1Rules are meant to define behaviour in a given circumstance; if the circumstance expands beyond the rule, we MUST expand our response to match, or the circumstance will crush us.
    • Xanium4332, on 04/13/2008, -11/+393Our spam will blot out her screen...
      • liquidhalcyon, on 04/13/2008, -6/+325Then she shall type in the shade.
        • nsanidy, on 04/13/2008, -0/+63I wish there was a double-digg button that could only be used once every so often. This is one of those times. Well done Xanium/Liquid, I needed a laugh.
          • tech42er, on 04/13/2008, -11/+1You can digg both; this isn't /.
          • theMurdocVolta, on 04/13/2008, -0/+3Yeah... tech42er doesn't win this round.
            If there was a double-digg down button I would use it right now.
          • gravityboard, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2Digg should add a "favorite comment thread" button to be displayed with favorite stories.
        • tabion, on 04/13/2008, -31/+1THIS, IS, SPARTAAAAAA
          • theMurdocVolta, on 04/13/2008, -0/+5THIS IS way over used and no longer funny
        • xlneoMAXlx, on 04/13/2008, -2/+1LOL
        • arcanesmile, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1mother of all win
        • fuzzybeard, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... For tonight, we dine in THE CAFETERIA!
      • Shawshanksr, on 04/13/2008, -49/+4we are legion
        we do not forgive
        we do not forget
        expect the anonymous
      • celkin, on 04/13/2008, -3/+18The inbox will be OVER 9000!!!1!1
    • Synapse84, on 04/13/2008, -11/+84lol just read that as "sexmaniac"...
    • DesertDude, on 04/13/2008, -36/+7Fox "News", yeah that's the kind of flag-waving pseudo-patriotic ***** they love to publish.
      • rentmitchum, on 04/13/2008, -4/+5DONT U MEEN FAUX NEWS?!?!! LOL!!!!!!!11!!!1!!1!!!!!!!!@
      • chopperrockets, on 04/14/2008, -1/+1someone has to care about our guys!...
      • dannydyer1000, on 04/14/2008, -0/+2don't be a jackass. i hate fox news and their ignorant 'pundits' as much as the next person, but i'm nonetheless pissed that the school isn't being more understanding about this. the kid and his father are obviously close, and i think talking to his father (who could be dead at any moment, really) is more important than his class. regardless of your stance on iraq, the people serving over there are doing their duty, and that needs to be respected for what it is.

        ***** fox news, but ***** you too for being a prick about it.
      • fuzzybeard, on 04/14/2008, -1/+1Even a blind squirrel will occasionally find a nut.
    • Billions, on 04/13/2008, -18/+2Yeah, you've really helped matters a lot. And in case you were out taking a call when they taught the concept, that's "sarcasm."
    • Gutterpunk, on 04/13/2008, -8/+23Welcome to /b/ jr!
    • mawh, on 04/13/2008, -3/+25"The matter has since been resolved, Patricia Hill said,"
      No need.
      • scimitar91, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1That's not enough. That was only because of media pressure. Spam away.
      • dsenman, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1This is Digg, why would people be reasonable? Mob mentality rules - any chance for the group to somehow feel powerful.
    • DonX, on 04/13/2008, -0/+36Just emailed her and got this back:

      This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification

      Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

      saxeniac@ccisd.com

      Technical details of permanent failure:
      PERM_FAILURE: Gmail tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the recipient domain. The error that the other server returned was: 550 550 5.1.1 Mailbox does not exist. We recommend contacting the other email provider for further information about the cause of this error. Thanks for your continued support. (state 14)
      • rentmitchum, on 04/13/2008, -0/+5I got that too. Damn, maybe they shut it off, or could the digg effect have knocked it out?
        • DonX, on 04/13/2008, -0/+3I'm guessing she couldn't handle the truth and closed it.
      • Trichomonas, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1I go the same message. She probably got way too many e-mails and decided it would be easier to switch to a new e-mail address.

        Too bad...
      • jruez, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1http://ccisd.esc11.net/cchs/site/default.asp
      • goro, on 04/13/2008, -0/+0that's because the correct email seems to be saxenaNc@ccisd.com ..
      • fuzzybeard, on 04/14/2008, -1/+2We have to Digg them from orbit, it's the only way to be certain.
    • theutopian, on 04/13/2008, -5/+36Let's sign her up for a bunch of porn e-mails. She needs to learn the glories of two girls, one cup.
    • dvorachek, on 04/13/2008, -11/+6No its not. There is a clear policy at that school of not even having cellphones in class whatsoever, off, on or otherwise. I'm sure the father could have called the school instead and asked to be put through to his son and they would have been much more understanding about that and allowed him to be excused from class instead of just up and disrupting and ongoing lesson.
      • chenley1, on 04/13/2008, -2/+4You are a jackass. I graduated in 99, back then we were allowed to answer a phone call (or have your pager on!!) if it were an emergency. I would consider this phone call on the top of my list.
      • BillMoocho, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2This may be true, but I highly doubt the father would have his kid's school's phone number handy when he is at war.
      • redstorm986, on 04/13/2008, -2/+4You have obviously never tried to contact someone while in military service. You don't get very much time on the phone in a combat zone and when you do you usually don't get to pick when it occurs.
      • theMurdocVolta, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2Hmmm. I see your point dvorachek
        Its widely know that

        using a cell phone in class causes catastrophic break down of the educational process know as "teaching" which could lead to the downfall of the intellectual supremcey of America

        and everyone knows that his father could have used any working pay phone on a wide open corner in the middle of Iraq, duh.

        and if not a pay phone, what he cant hold a gun and a phone at the same time.

        and finally to disrupt a lesson if the most hannis of crimes. I heard that they had to close the whole school down and burn that class room to the ground.

        Lets be serious, common sense was no where to be found in this situation, his father is risking his life, RISKING HIS LIFE, he could have hung up that phone and been shot.
        A fatheh can be one of the most influential and importent people in a childs life, and to run that kind of risk I say if he calls his son let him pick up. Its not going to hurt him to miss out on what happened during beacons rebellion. He can read the chapter at home. The Teachers edition is the same ***** as the students it just tells them the answer.
        So before you go off and remind us of the set rules, you take a minute and walk in that kids shoes, and if you are man enough try his fathers, you ***** child.
    • D14BL0, on 04/13/2008, -3/+36Hey, looks like she's a customer for the ISP I work for. I have her account up right in front of me right now.

      Taking suggestions.
      • Naturalistic, on 04/13/2008, -0/+13YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!


        ..
        DO IT RICO!
      • ZigVicious, on 04/13/2008, -1/+7I call *****.
      • schlottj, on 04/13/2008, -2/+13ya do it, and get fired like the guy who pulled the plug on the kids internet acct for being a douche on xbox live
      • CurlyMike139125, on 04/13/2008, -5/+3Cell phone ads.

        BILLIONS of 'em.
      • CurlyMike139125, on 04/13/2008, -4/+2Cell phone ads and newsletters.

        BILLIONS of 'em.
      • megaton, on 04/13/2008, -1/+10Throttle her P2P traffic!
      • mickoes, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1Change the name of the account!
    • cliffzdude, on 04/13/2008, -15/+6So she can't use her email for a week or two, great job kids. This won't hurt the principal, they'll block her outside email and, no problem. So she can't use email for a week or two, no biggee to the principal. She can have her assistant email others for her, and vice versa.
      The people this does hurt are Mom's and Dad's who can take 5 minutes after work and have a word via email with the principal.

      Silly, petty, immature, and ill-conceived. This Digg Mob mass email has got to stop. Its childish and counter productive.

      • D14BL0, on 04/13/2008, -0/+4Hurting her email is the least of her worries. What if she can't get online at home at all? Ever? :D
        • schlottj, on 04/13/2008, -1/+0youll be fired, there was a story like what you are suggesting just the other day, that man pulled the plug on some kids interent acct because he didnt like what he had to say on xbox live, the man got fired
      • wombat02, on 04/13/2008, -0/+4Mail for mails sake perhaps is counter productive. The public voicing their opinion to a public institution is not.
        • fletcherrr, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1Ditto. This is the difference between an EECB and "Fr3E Vii4gr4, C1ALI$ and V|C0D|N"
    • madwh, on 04/13/2008, -1/+4Hi. This is the qmail-send program at yahoo.com.
      I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
      This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

      :
      71.41.27.132 does not like recipient.
      Remote host said: 550 5.1.1 Mailbox does not exist
      Giving up on 71.41.27.132.

      --- Below this line is a copy of the message.

      Return-Path:
      Received: (qmail 46488 invoked by uid 60001); 13 Apr 2008 17:42:09 -0000
      DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws;
      s=s1024; d=yahoo.com;
      h=X-YMail-OSG:Received:X-Mailer:Date:From:Subject:To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Message-ID;
      b=4d2TrfPdFOA2xPMDujMDXkp5mZDysXSKGsjgjMBImtRIGnFkmJZRSbAf1lPuRO4JzI33oICctFHRgTfM0D2kzqm9HpwQWi/3goTUqj58Z+ZwOWnaJ4q1K7aRPqJ1gMueq410/FKPMreILOff3ZThskWQTGryT/NXWy+OOcOtStY=;
      X-YMail-OSG: dX0IjWAVM1k33SV33Xxo0CXRSiyjqLltRtcsEcJNMOXOpEvIPBb2fOD60HAbzGSIWWWgzGF7QiN_y7lGVJ8Mg4BGzwKeQYkQqmo8.CMCrlRF62c0FvLw5NQC8x2faQ--
      Received: from [24.16.90.242] by web36405.mail.mud.yahoo.com via HTTP; Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:42:09 PDT
      X-Mailer: YahooMailRC/902.40 YahooMailWebService/0.7.185
      Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:42:09 -0700 (PDT)
      From: Mad MaX
      Subject: YO BITCH
      To: saxeniac@ccisd.com
      MIME-Version: 1.0
      Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0-1724719510-1208108529=:45984"
      Message-ID:

      --0-1724719510-1208108529=:45984
      Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

      SUP
      • pxlpshr, on 09/04/2008, -0/+4YO BITCH is a great way to express your opinion. Very diplomatic of you... I'm sure your opinion would have been heard.
      • BryanJK, on 04/13/2008, -0/+3qmail?
    • DarkAlchemist, on 04/13/2008, -4/+1...Make her internet slower? Dunno.
    • ludar, on 04/13/2008, -8/+1dude that aint right posting someones address
    • KingGorilla, on 04/13/2008, -1/+5Remember the last time someone posted a teacher's information on digg and the story ended up being inaccurate.
    • bling00, on 04/13/2008, -0/+3saxenianc@ccisd.com, not saxeniac@ccisd.com.
    • dimi2000bug, on 04/13/2008, -6/+1Why would you post that person's address?
      Actions like this will never help the person who made the mistake (teacher, or principal) aknowledge their wrong doing, instead it'll probably upset them enough to do the same thing again - follow the rules at school WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTIONS.
      • deekismusic, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1Or scare them into not doing it again.
    • UltramegaOK, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2Diggers are so badass. -_-
    • nolesfan247, on 04/13/2008, -0/+6Diggers:
      The e-mail address above is incorrect, missing an "n". Here is the right one:
      saxenianc@ccisd.com
      NOW we can light up that inbox!
    • chukkie, on 04/14/2008, -0/+0good work
  • ennTOXX, on 04/13/2008, -30/+31Big ups to Frank for that info. I've already sent my opinion in an email to the School's Principal... :||
    • m2m477, on 04/13/2008, -7/+9Just how it should be
      Act first, minor details come last
      • tabion, on 04/13/2008, -3/+5Haha agreed, people don't take in all the relevant information and jump into action with the lack of knowledge. I think that's the Bush genes in some of Americans.
      • sampanc, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1Hell yea, gotta go with nothin but the gut!

        /Yee-Haw
    • LukasSmith, on 04/13/2008, -9/+2Have you ever been to a public school classroom? We're not talking about the angels of God here. Hell I'm surprised these teachers even enforce discipline but I'm glad. Wtf do you think a teacher is supposed to say when a kid's phone rings and he say "oh dont worry im talking to my dad. In Iraq." Oh sure yes I believe you son like all the other hundreds of time some kids phone rang. The fact is if the phone call was a matter of life and death his mother or legal guardian should have contacted the school and explained. The only people who would see otherwise is 1/2 of digg users who are high schoolers and believe schools are playgrounds. Do you people not remember the story of the girl who wrote an essay about her dad in Iraq so she could get Hanna Montana tickets?
      • Beakerz, on 04/13/2008, -2/+4I graduated in 06 and most of my teachers were reasonable with phone calls - if they got a call and it was important then the kid would step outside (except for one psycho teacher that wouldn't go to the graduation b/c we have a tradition there to bounce beachballs and stuff around, she said it was disrespectful to her - considering shes graduating and all...lol), but it was no disturbance at ALL the only time a phone call has disturbed anything in class was this past year in college when the kid answered the call and didn't go outside...just sat there yelling into the phone until some kids started yelling at him to get out of the class. The only disturbance with this would have been the teacher being an ass and making a scene rather than just letting the kid take the call....
      • LukasSmith, on 04/13/2008, -3/+3So the teacher is supposed to just let the kids talk on the phone whenever they want... otherwise they are just being an asss. Novel idea just leave class discipline to the students themselves. Your still in high school aren't you?
  • exgop, on 04/13/2008, -222/+18I wish some reporter would ask the principal if she is conservative or liberal? I have been saying for years, that liberals and some Democrats loathe the military. Some even smile when a US soldier dies
    • ArchangelZLT, on 04/13/2008, -14/+182Liberals don't loathe the army. Liberals loathe people who send the army to death for stupid reasons.
      • mannyqui, on 04/13/2008, -3/+21Word!
      • cygnus2112, on 04/13/2008, -27/+6You should at least be honest. Some liberals hate the army. They will brand all Marines as puppy killers or rapists or torturers. They'll burn soldier effigies during protests. As stupid as it is to generalize against liberals, it's also stupid to generalize about liberals.
        • Firgof, on 04/13/2008, -1/+17Allow me to fix your statement.

          "You should at least be honest. Some people hate the army. They brand all Marines puppy killers, rapists, or torturers. They burn effigies of soldiers during protests [...]"

          Why the fix? Because I know several conservatives who hate the army, call our soldiers those names, and a few might participate in an effigy burning. Don't let your head be manipulated by some league of stupid oafs who think that people should be encouraged to be as disrespectful, angered, and blindly lead by an invisible set of rules. Be honest to yourself. In the same sense that a gun does not a kill make, a person's particular party choice should have no bearing on your attitude or disposition of them.

          I'm very tired of all this political classism. I believed that we had moved beyond the Feudal era of yesterday and had 'seen the light' when we wrote the Magna Carta and acknowledged that we all should have respect and be respected. I believed we had moved beyond political loyalty into loyalty to our fellow man when we broke from a tyrannous England and participated in a bloody and grit-toothed war against our own kinsmen for our survival. But today all I see is this blinding hate, driven by 'party loyalty', which tears families apart, divorces happy couples, and threatens people's individual identity and liberty. Is it so wrong to seek out and embrace these things in the day of this age?
          • cygnus2112, on 04/13/2008, -12/+1My statement wasn't untrue.
          • kamikazecow, on 04/13/2008, -1/+8and neither was his. You were simply picking out a small minority. At least 1 % of the population is schizophrenic, thats a hell of a lot of people that could be associated with any group. By your logic, if we should be hating anyone, its the human race.
          • tech42er, on 04/13/2008, -1/+4@cygnus
            It was incomplete. Not everyone who hates the military is liberal.
          • cygnus2112, on 04/14/2008, -2/+2What's incomplete about it? Analogy:

            Original statement: Pit Bulls don't bite.
            cygnus2112 statement: Some Pit Bulls bite.
            Firgof's statement: Some dogs bite.

            It's not discriminating against any breed (or party). My statement isn't incomplete. You're just being overly anal, pedantic *****. But I suppose you're just defending your liberal partisanship. I've yet to see a conservative rally in the US burn soldier effigies. And despite people's comments, I haven't seen any conservatives who hate the military.

            So, whatever. I'm still right regardless. :)
          • kamikazecow, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2First off, i have never scene any burning soldier effigies, i think you have been watching fox new too much, or looking at the wrong country or something. If you have, lets see a link or something. Second, whats with the name calling? Are you so afraid of other peoples opinions that you have to lash out with the maturity of a 6th grader? And who says we are all liberals? I agree and disagree with both party's, and consider myself to be more independent. Thirdly, even if their were morons burning soldier effigies, its better to be burning fake soldiers then to be sending out real ones into a pointless war zone to their REAL death like what conservatives have been doing. (and yes i know some liberals also got that ***** fest started, but at least they are trying to get them out of there now)
          • Firgof, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1Your statement was biased, not incomplete. Reality isn't biased. I call you on that and you go into a fit about how your opinion must override reality because you cannot deal with being in the wrong?

            And how can I be defending my 'liberal partisanship' by correcting your statement to (correctly) read that, instead of 'ONLY Republicans like the color RED' it said 'MANY PEOPLE like the color RED'. To want further specification on a matter which is clearly a generalization, in my opinion sir, is an overly anal and pedantic standpoint.

            "And despite people's comments, I haven't seen any conservatives who hate the military." So I suppose, then, that everything you -don't- see, no matter how possible, likely, or evidenced, doesn't exist? I'll tell you what. Go find me _factual evidence_ that supports the idea that 'conservatives CANNOT hate the military' and I'll, then, show you my evidence to the contrary.

            "So, whatever, I'm still right regardless." Okay. Nevermind. Stay in your little child world with your little child ideas. When you're ready to discuss the larger picture and step out of your narrow-minded and razor-toothed opinion, you just let me know and I'll show you a world where, in fact, you can and most of the time WILL be wrong with the statements you so wrecklessly toss about.
        • nixfu, on 04/13/2008, -7/+2*DING* we have a winner for the most likely explanation of this twits behavior
        • ichbeineinrcg, on 04/13/2008, -1/+5Let's be even more honest and say that there are some conservatives who also hate the military because they think it's a tool of the UN to take away our rights. Or, from a Liberatarian stance, that the mission of the military to protect our borders has been corrupted beyond recognition.

          Let's also acknowledge that the principal in question is the head of a school that serves mostly military member's children. She wouldn't be in that position if she hated the military--it would have been sniffed out by the families long ago.
    • unreg, on 04/13/2008, -9/+90God you're stupid.
    • TexMexMatt, on 04/13/2008, -8/+35That is the most load of crap I ever heard. You don't know what you are talking about. Democrats have a whole bunch of vets while most republicans come up with a whole bunch of sorry assed excuses not to serve. Cheney didn't serve. Bush kind of served (nobody really knows what he did). McCain served and he is almost the only one too.
      http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:WRsekFUhmgIJ: ...
      Sorry about the google cache but that page wasn't there anymore.

      NO Democrat would smile when a US soldier dies. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE!!!!!! You should have a good ass whopping for spreading lies like that.
      How about this then. To a Republican a soldier is nothing more than a piece of crap they can use and discard. Soldiers are not humans to Conservatives. They are not worthy a proper burial and they are not worthy a heroes welcome. They are to be silenced and hidden from view. NOW THAT IS DISRESPECT AND IF THAT ISN'T LOATHING MILITARY THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!!!!!!!!
      This isn't about being liberal or conservative. Schools have rules and they need to be followed and sometimes things like this happens. No calls allowed during class.
      You Sir, are a ***** moron and you disrespect US military that died for USA, for democracy and for freedom to be either democrat, republican or whatever heck you want to be.
      • mystcnurse, on 04/13/2008, -4/+1sorry but that sounds awfully republican - rules are rules and need to be obeyed? I say, rules are made to be broken, including all the new ones that Bush has made up during his time in office. And if you really look deep, btw, McCain, although he did serve, it probably wasn't like he said. At least not according to his peers - oh, yeah, right, he had no peers, he was better than all of them. http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
        Anyway, no matter what he did, he doesn't serve the vets well now, as he always votes against them whenever it comes up. Makes you wonder.
      • sovietninja, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1Not all Republicans are conservative (McCain) and not all Democrats are liberal (Clinton). So to classify these political parties as opposite ends of the spectrum is quite a mistake. If anything they are both dead center if there were a scale like this

        Conservative ------------------------------------------------------------------------------x ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Liberal
      • celkin, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1PWNED!!!
    • Billions, on 04/13/2008, -7/+62"Some even smile when a US soldier dies"

      Maybe you're thinking of Cheney?
      • mckirsch, on 04/13/2008, -1/+6"so?"

        DICK Cheney
      • lougoose, on 04/13/2008, -0/+3Yeah...it's not just that he smiles when someone else dies. He smiles after he shot his friend in the face!
        • amoirae, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1After he shot his friend, he giggled like Rhoda Penmark(a.k.a. The Bad Seed)
    • TexMexMatt, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2Here is the link I meant. http://tiny.cc/ibwf9
    • Ender008, on 04/13/2008, -1/+13You have no idea what you're talking about. I'm liberal, and I admire the soldiers that have the guts to put their lives on the line. It's inspiring.
    • exgop, on 04/13/2008, -28/+1Liberals smile when US soldiers DIE
      • Firgof, on 04/13/2008, -1/+3Those that do have less right to claim themselves a human being than they do to claim themselves 'liberal'.
      • SpookyPig, on 04/13/2008, -0/+15I'm going to smile when you die.
        • zeusthemoose, on 04/13/2008, -1/+9I think we all smile when bat ***** crazy republicans die.
          • amoirae, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2We threw a party when Strom Thurmond died. Opened a bottle of champagne when his black daughter had her press conference.

          • exgop, on 04/13/2008, -2/+1libs are the most hateful of people.They don't know the concepts of honor duty and country
      • jesuschrysler, on 04/13/2008, -2/+1usually i just kill a bunch of puppies
      • starkruzr, on 04/13/2008, -0/+12/10
      • TexMexMatt, on 04/13/2008, -2/+1NO they don't! There will be a cold day in hell before a democrat smile when a soldier dies. Dammit, I am not even American and a US citizen and I got more respect for the US troops than you do. I done military service where I am from. I bet you haven't served your country. Now shut the hell up! From what I read, the majority of US troops are democrats.
        http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4244798&page=1
    • JointVenture, on 04/13/2008, -17/+1He's right in the sense that when the Army is not at war the liberals and college kids could give ***** all about the military. In fact if you were to sit at any college bar and listen to what college kids say when a group of soldiers walk in you will hear things like JAR HEAD, REDNECK, or worse.

      The fact is they only "support" the troops now because it is a political tool.

      They don't give a ***** about some kid from Texas in the army, they only care about them when it is politically expedient.

      The problem is most the college kids today were 14 when the war started.
      • nygrissplz, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2The hell? I don't know a SINGLE peer of mine that would EVER insult a group of soldiers like that. I don't know where the hell you grew up, or even if you actually went to college (since you probably didn't), but that is not the way most college students act when they see a group of soldiers.
        • JointVenture, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1I grew up in 7 different States, graduated Rollins, and then Brandeis International Business School.

          Heres the problem, YOU'RE in college NOW. If you will use some reading comprehension you will see that I said "NOT AT WAR".

          have a nice day
    • LukasSmith, on 04/13/2008, -8/+3I agree Liberals use our soldiers as a political tool. Notice how the liberal media stopped counting the dead soldiers after the deaths slowed down. Doesn't interest them any more, Next propaganda topic. And yes some liberals do smile when soldiers die and loath the military. These are the same people who believe either A. We shouldn't have a military or B. We should have a military but one which never fights in wars while we leave some other emerging or existent power to deal with world problems. Basically liberals are the ultimate Isolationist. No free trade, no foriegn wars, no trade agreements that don't mostly benefit the US. The liberal loves America well enough. But hates the world really. And that gets nations nowhere. Our countries great wealth emerged only when Americans let go of their determination to be isolationist in the world wars.
      • ShinRaTDR, on 04/13/2008, -1/+5Your entire media is conservative, do some traveling before talking please.
      • LukasSmith, on 04/13/2008, -5/+2The media is controlled by liberals. The only thing that comes close to being conservative is Fox News. Mostly I think the show is kinda dumb. So the only conservative or republican opinion average people get is none . Liberals own everything else. CBS NBC ABC and on and on and on.
        • ShinRaTDR, on 04/13/2008, -0/+4good proof, I'm convinced.
        • zeabu, on 04/14/2008, -1/+3Because you won't take the advice from ShinRatDR of doing some travelling, I'll give you an update:
          What's called the left in the US is in Europe considered already to be on the right side of the centre. The right in the US, is considered so rightish, it would be balancing on the fine line of being outlawed.
          Whether that's a right view or not, I'm not discussing, I'm just placing things in their perspective.
      • CurlyMike139125, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1Fix'd!

        I agree. Liberals use our soldiers as a political tool. Notice how the liberal media stopped counting the dead soldiers after the deaths slowed down. It doesn't interest them any more, and they have moved on to the next propaganda topic. And yes, some liberals do loath the military and smile when soldiers die. These are the same people who believe either A: We shouldn't have a military, or B: We should have a military, but one which never fights in wars and instead leaves some other emerging or existent power to deal with world problems. Basically, liberals are the ultimate isolationist. No free trade, no foriegn wars, no trade agreements that don't mostly benefit the US. The liberal loves America well enough. However, the liberal hates the world, and that gets nations nowhere. Our country's great wealth emerged only when Americans let go of their determination to be isolationist in the World Wars.

        Oh. and BTW, I don't agree with a single thing you just said.
    • Picaroon, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1I don't think that's true. Most liberals are like most conservatives--they honestly do care about the troops and their fellow American. They have differing views on how necessary the Iraq War is.

      I think it's easy to feel that some people hate the troops when you see some of the inane comments posted on Digg, but those wackjobs are a very small minority.
    • pitselehxo, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1that was the dumbest thing i've heard in a while.
    • RevoFM, on 04/14/2008, -1/+1His e-penis is officially tiny.
  • vik16, on 04/13/2008, -20/+34The kid is suffering enough. Let him answer the phone! He could have excused himself but didn't do anything wrong!
    • SpookyET, on 04/13/2008, -4/+10High schools in USA behave like NAZIs. They treat teens like children. You have no responsibility. You are talked down on. You have hallway passes. They call your parents if you miss class. If you asked to be treated like a college student, they talk down on you saying that you are too young. It's total bollocks. They love their power. In many countries in Europe, high school, and even middle school, pupils are treated like college students -- as in no one gives a *****, and you have responsibility for yourself.
      • Birdoftruth, on 04/13/2008, -0/+8I 100% agree with you. It is madness. Just for one instance, Back when I was in 8th grade (I'm a junior in UF now), I was new to the school and the librarian was giving presentation on where everything was in the library. Their was a lul in her presentation and I raised my hand asking where the water fountain was. She overreacted and said that was one of the rudest things ever, told me to put my head down. Then I got called to the principle's office where I was repeatedly yelled at in a condescending manner and given 2 days ISS. Next day my mom comes in and he's singing a whole different tune. My mom said she didn't find it just and he started to pull this ***** out of his ass that happened after the whole deal "he was peeking out of his study carol when I walked in ISS." If I knew about red herring and non sequitur fallacy bull ***** this would of gone no where. Not to mention that I missed football practice, was dismissed from the game, and had to bear crawl the entire football field.
        • drunk3nrabbit, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1Madness? THIS IS US EDUCATION!!!!!
      • nycmac247, on 04/13/2008, -4/+2Have you ever thought that students in other industrialized nations aren't treated like children b/c they don't _act_ like children?
        For example, would you talk back during a corporate meeting?
        • tech42er, on 04/13/2008, -0/+5The situation is the reverse. Th authoritarian treatment as adolescents infantilizes young American adults, leading to the immaturity that they display.
      • screwfanboys1, on 04/13/2008, -2/+1I dont know where the ***** you guys go to school, but my HS isn't like that at all.
      • Skooma714, on 04/13/2008, -0/+4It's designed to make you obedient.

        All it taught me how to do was to be disobedient thankfully.
      • TheNik, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1All of my teachers are cool, but the ones that I think will not be I make sure to put them in their intellectual place before we really get started in a school year. A lot of the teachers at my school are quite stupid.
    • RSterkenburg, on 04/13/2008, -1/+4I'm sure phones in class are against the rules, hence he did something wrong. Also, if I was a teacher, and some kid started talking on his phone in MY class, I'd be pissed right off. Of course, that was quite an unusual circumstance, but I imagine they just didn't allow him to be an exception to the rule.
      • TheInfinityZero, on 04/14/2008, -0/+0Thank goodness! I was going to die if I didn't soon see an un-biases, anti-rules comment soon.
        People, he broke rules; if that call was so important, he should have left the class and chatted in the hallway.
    • Downwritemad, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1I don't think the Nazis treated people like children.
      • tech42er, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2Really? I'm pretty sure they were an incredibly paternalistic government that refused to give their citizens any freedom, instead doing what was best for them, in their eyes.
  • mamapopi, on 04/13/2008, -62/+46While the school's actions seem uncalled for at first glance, it would have been more reasonable for the father to have computed the 8 hour time difference and called his son outside school hours. As a former teacher, I am well-aware of the other side of the coin: parents who think it is their right to disrupt class at any time by calling their child during school hours, as well as other students who pretend to be a student's parents when they call. Given that the policy is no cell phones in class, the student should not have had his present in the first place.
    • skeletonkeeper, on 04/13/2008, -11/+34With all due respect, the son could very well be the primary support for the mom who is not head cook and bottle washer for the family. I have been in situations close to his and you do keep your phone on incase you are needed for an emergency. He grows up real quick. I idea that the father should have calculated the time difference makes me wonder how much of the military you are familiar with in regards to its demands. You take what time you are given. I am sorry that the military and the butchery of the terrorist in Iraq did not fall during the student's lunch time.
    • cerealman, on 04/13/2008, -2/+15Why? The father had already discussed this with the VP.
    • SenorGeltabz, on 04/13/2008, -10/+24Your not that bright mamapopi are you? He doesn't have the luxury to time out phone calls. Between pratrols,on base duties and meals. He has a small window as it is. Now add 8 hours time difference.You might not agree with the war, but use your mind and apply some logic.
    • Tyorant, on 04/13/2008, -5/+13Ugh, seriously, have some heart outside of what the rule book says you're allowed to have, will you?
    • jmnormand, on 04/13/2008, -2/+12Your a complete idiot if you think that his father gets to choose when he feels like calling. For many solders over there they only have a few minutes a day that they are able to call. some likely just a few minutes a week or month depending on where they are stationed and their job. I think the most telling part of all this is that as soon as the media got involved the officials back tracked completely...
    • Viti, on 04/13/2008, -3/+3Wow.
    • thefarouk, on 04/13/2008, -2/+11This is a fantastic example of why absolutes fail - why "no tolerance" or "zero tolerance" rules are so stupid. NOTHING in the real world is absolute. Teaching students that things are absolute, that they are pure black and white, leads to significant maladjustment later in life. I have a certain sympathy for the teachers in this situation - they're told what the rules are (no, they're indoctrinated), and they are forced to adhere to them, lest they risk loosing their jobs.

      The true villain here are all parents, who have allowed rules such as these to become the norm in our school systems, tying the hands of the teachers. This is amerika, we have free will, why are we accepting this bulls**t in OUR school systems? Its time to take them back and return to reasonability.
      • tech42er, on 04/13/2008, -0/+4"The true villain here are all parents, who have allowed rules such as these to become the norm in our school systems"

        The parents don't control what goes on in a public school, only a private school. In a public school, it's all up to the administrators.
    • Xvash2, on 04/13/2008, -2/+6Parents should have the right to contact at any time. If it were any different, it would be like a scheduled kidnapping every day.
      • dood, on 04/13/2008, -2/+2The problem is that parental contact disturbs all children in the classroom, which may affect their education. The fewer distractions the better.
      • schlottj, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2the parents have every right to contact a child at any time, they pick up the phone and dial the school #, VOILA!
        by your reasoning since school time began hundreds of years ago until about 8-9 years ago, we've been kidnapping kids for 8hrs a day
    • BN2L, on 04/13/2008, -11/+5I agree, the father shouldn't be calling in school hours, the kids education is more important and the father should realise that, doesn't sound like the call was urgent
      • BassMastr, on 04/13/2008, -1/+4It's a phone call not a vacation...I doubt 15-20 mins...hell even a full day is going to do any permanant damage on his education. Actaully just the fact that the kid knows his dad is ok should help him be able to focus better on his studies.
        • schlottj, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2the problem is the dad wasnt calling to say he was ok. he was calling to ask how the child was doing because the child asked him to, apparently needing to talk about stuff, which very well could be a 20+min conversation
          • BassMastr, on 04/13/2008, -0/+4Who cares if it takes two hours.... Let his dad be his dad if the kid needs to talk to his dad who cares when it happens...sorry the war didn't fit w/ the school schedule.

            We should be singing this guys praises for fighting a war and still trying to be a good dad.
        • BN2L, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1Its still disruptive even if it is 20mins, I understand the kids dad is at war but I don't think he should be calling the kid whenever he wants, have some respect for the teachers who are educating his son. Of course an emergency is an exception to the rule but this wasn't an emergency. Just my 2 cents anyway at least you're not telling me to burn in hell for thinking education is important like this dude below.
      • Stevanoski, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2Correct, the teachers union might object, can't have that.
      • getsk3wled, on 04/13/2008, -1/+2the father is fighting in a WAR, didn't you think that in the few minutes he bothered to disrupt his son's education he could have been killed? If my father was in a deathly situation i would ANSWER THE FKING CALL no matter where the hell i was. i hope you burn in hell for your ignorance and stupidity.
        • BN2L, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1Burn in hell? Wow must have touched a nerve there. No need to be unnecessarily offensive. There was no life or death situation, school doesn't take up that much of the day just call the kid when hes on a break or something. Kids with soldier fathers managed to get by before mobile phones became available so why not now? Theres nothing ignorant or stupid about this view its just a difference of opinion.
  • nutz2u2, on 04/13/2008, -13/+55I don't know who's running the schools these days, but it seems to me that whoever is should return to school themselves so they might learn something, anything.
    • jmnormand, on 04/13/2008, -0/+5or be shipped over to iraq...
    • Airman222, on 04/13/2008, -6/+5The schools are ran by liberals and the teachers unions which should be disbanded because the teachers do not care about education any more only their paid summer vacation and their tenure
      • CurlyMike139125, on 04/13/2008, -1/+1Okay, honestly, there has to be a ton of people who care more about their job's pay and benefits then the job itself.
        And almost every teacher and administrator at my school is a Conservatist Republican.
    • masterfoo, on 04/13/2008, -6/+1While I agree that I think the punishment was completely injust in this case, I feel like I really need to point out:

      Why as a parent, if you knew your kid was in school, would you not just call the school phone line and ask to speak to your kid like you had to before cellphones?
      • tech42er, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2My Luddite friend, times are changing. In five or ten years, everything will be through cell phones. OR would you rather we go to telegraphs, like they used to do before phones?
  • kirralin23, on 04/13/2008, -12/+221I agree in general that cell phones should not be allowed in class, when I was in college I had to turn my cell phone off during class. This, however, is a special circumstance. This young man relies on his father, this is good. His father is in Iraq. Although he is doing a great thing for this nation, it's awful hard on his family. So, when the boy needs to speak to his father, urgently, the mother arranges it. This is not some kid thumbing his nose at the rules. Clearly there was something very important he needed to discuss with his father, otherwise his mother wouldn't have arranged it. To make matters worse, it seems clear that this possibility was discussed with the school before the father deployed. I hate it when the school tells me one thing about how my children will be treated, and then treats them differently behind my back. Sure does make for a lack of trust. The school is so clearly in the wrong. Perhaps in the future, when this boy needs to speak with his father, he should just skip school for the day. Then, of course, the school won't get paid for that days attendance, but hey, class won't be disrupted for a family emergency. Better yet, home school.
    • masterfoo, on 04/13/2008, -22/+2While I agree with you, I don't think the exception is that cellphones need to be allowed, even for special cases. Granted they should have been way more understanding, I think the real person at fault is the father.

      If you know your kid is in school, why wouldn't you call the School Phone Line and request your kid to the office and talk to him like you had to before cell phones? I think it was a lack of judgment on the father's part.
      • shodanx, on 04/13/2008, -0/+7yes, 15 minutes on hold at 5 bucks a minute
        how about you leave your phone on vibrate, and you leave the class before answering
        that hasn't been a problem here where the people are sane
      • kirralin23, on 04/14/2008, -0/+3Most likely the father had a very limited time in which he had access to a telephone. If he called the school office and waited for them to bring his son to the office for the call he could run out of time before his son even got there. So many young people today have no respect for their parents, this boy, on the other hand, clearly has great respect for his father and goes to him for advice. This should obviously be encouraged. And, being as he's in Iraq, yes, he could die before he has a chance to call at a more convenient time.
    • gravityboard, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2Wow you just went through a whole thing all by yourself. Who needs a comment thread when you can get the whole deal in one?
  • unchienne, on 04/13/2008, -52/+87While the circumstances of the situation seem to pull at both patriotic and sympathetic heartstrings, please keep in mind a classroom situation. You have a class full of students who are working, a cell phone goes off, the child stops to chat, walks out of the room and carries on the conversation. Oh no...I don't see three hundred or more teenagers getting upset because they can't do the same or distracted or causing a distrubance with their curiosity or comments. And will this be expected treatment all of the time? If the boy is so troubled that he can't wait to get home to speak with his father then he needs counseling, seriously. But I actually put the bulk of the responsiblity of the parents. The mother urged the father to call, and the father called, knowing full well his son was in school and there was a no-cellphone policy. She talks about protecting the rights of other students in similar circumstances...o.k., but what does that mean for a hs like Cove High with more than half of the students have at least one parent deployed? And how long will it take before kids are claiming that many of their call are from deployed parents when they are not? What they should have done in this situation was contact the school and ask for the child to come to the office and accept the call in private or at home. They're using public sympathy to justify their actions that while do have an emotional appeal...are still wrong.
    • cerealman, on 04/13/2008, -3/+27FTA: Pre-Approval
      "I was pretty shocked, considering that several months before we left I had talked to the … assistant principal and thought everything was fine," Morris Hill said.
    • chrispr, on 04/13/2008, -2/+5These situations happen, and if the reasoning is verified they're usually let off the hook. This school didn't, because they're retarded.
    • MrErr, on 04/13/2008, -12/+3I agree. Also i am sure that half the class have at-least one parent deployed and I am sure there were other boys whose best friends was their father. But not all of them were receiving calls from their parent during class. It is sad situation for the boy, but I can see too where the school is coming from, especially given that half the school has a parent deployed. It would also be unfair to other students who were not receiving calls from their parent.
      I think the mother should have been a little more responsible. She was the one who told the father to call the son. It was not an emergency. I think the school could have handled it better but so could have the parents instead of just going to the media for sympathy and thereby exploiting the situation.
      • Lythium, on 04/13/2008, -3/+3You people make me sick.... All of you "oh, the naughty boy broke a rule; his parents are irresponsible" people... I hate to be melodramatic, but this kid's father could die any day. He's at WAR, damn it!! Your school rules are NOTHING compared to what this man's life means to his son, and that is perfectly normal. In these circumstances, following rules is just not a priority for the kid; and as for the father, you do not and cannot know what his schedule is. War, get it? Family comes before rules. I pity your parents and your children if you can't see that.
        • rhodydog, on 04/13/2008, -2/+3If the boy's farther is so important why the f**k did he leave his son and go to Iraq? It's not as if the Iraq invasion is important to the well being of the country, we weren't being invaded by Iraq. Iraq wasn't even a threat to us. Quite the opposite, this war is slowly destroying our country. The father should come home immediately and be with his family. As you rightly say, family comes before rules, including military service.
    • jmnormand, on 04/13/2008, -3/+8Two things first if the call is from a father at war who may be dead tomorrow then yes it is justified and every kid in the country should have that right.

      and two the mother tried talking to the school they refused to respond to her. the article doesnt say how the media got involved but if she had to use the media to have her opinion heard her by a public school her son attends it is a sad day for us all...
      • howser2007, on 04/13/2008, -2/+4Anyone could be dead tomorrow. Just because you are in Iraq doesn't mean your possibility of dying is the highest in the nation.
        • linagee, on 04/13/2008, -1/+3I was just going to say this. Thanks for getting there first.
    • Typhoon2009, on 04/13/2008, -8/+451) It's freakin high school dude. It's not like they're learning how to control a runaway nuclear reaction in Nuclear Engineering 101. A minute of interrupted class time (I bet the kid would've left the room if asked) won't do *****. Chances are they weren't learning anything anyways, what with our education system.
      2) As others have said, soldiers don't get to pick and choose when they can call family. They have very specific time limits. Have YOU ever had a parent serving overseas? It's not a matter of needing counseling, it's a matter of wanting to talk to a person who has unconditional love for you and raised you. Maybe your parents beat you and fed you the dog's scraps, but some folks do have good relationships with their parents.
      • arjung, on 04/13/2008, -1/+8dugg for feeding kids the dog's scraps.
      • Lunarparcel, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1Props to the man in Irag, fighting for the right to have U.S. teens granted preferential treatment, but since we are primarily a "me too" society, its pretty easy to see where that would lead.

        So from that point on, whenever a cell phone rings in the classroom, all a kid has to do is declare "This is important, I gotta take this.".....right. Whatever, man.

        Much of the time (granted, not always) rules are imposed through mass administration for very good reasons. Those rules can also be broken for very good reasons, and when those reasons are compelling enough, usually both sides can agree that the reasons are valid. This is not one of those times - especially since feasible workarounds have long been in place for such situations, long, long, long before students ever started carrying cell phones around with them to the classroom.

        Of course,