School Systems' Policies On Fighting
Thu, 02/10/2011 - 21:27
I've heard a lot of stories about kids getting in serious trouble and such for fighting, but this one seemed a bit ridiculous to me. A kid from one of the local high schools here got jumped by an 18 year old as he was walking to the bus. Now before, I go on, he had gone to the guidance department before saying how this kid would not leave him alone and was scared he was going to get attacked by him. Now I'm not sure how the 18 year old tried "jumping him" but he wound up on the ground, and he simply held him there and told him to calm down and that he didnt want to fight. He finally let him up, told him that he was going to his bus, and he should go to his car. As he started walking away a group of people started ganging around him and pushed him back into the 18 year old as the 18 year old went to swing at him. He blocked the punch. The 18 year old swung at him again. He blocked the punch, and fired one back, that ended up knocking the 18 year old out.
They both go down to the office, and when they bring the kid in who knocked out the 18 year old, they tell him they are going to expel him. Parents get called down, more witnesses get called down, etc, etc. They eventually get the expulsion down to 10 days OSS, which is basically the same as that would make him fail for the year.
Then a teacher comes down, says that she was thrown to the ground by him before he knocked the other kid out and he used brass knuckles to do it! At this point the school is going back to the original expulsion when they find out there is a video of the entire fight. After watching the fight, everything the kid said was true. He tried multiple times to avoid the situation and tell the other kid to leave. He was pushed back in and forced to fight. The teacher was never knocked over, she was just watching (which is understandable, as they are pretty big guys, I wouldnt expect a woman teacher to break them up) and no weapon was used.
They got it down to 5 days OSS so now he still has a chance at passing for the year. But I thought that this was absolutely ridiculous. He tried before and during the fight to stop it. He never even went on offense til the kid kept swinging at him. What else was he supposed to do? Would they of rather him just put his hands down and get KO'd? Then who knows what would of happened with a gang of people around him. And I hear a lot of the times the school's response is to run, he tried that! The gang of people pushed him back in.
Now I havent personally seen the video yet, its probably taken down by now. But it just seems crazy to me.
What are your guys' thoughts?
Sat, 02/12/2011 - 10:39
#2
The school's only concern is their liability. Thankfully though, in the eyes of the law their decisions are essentially arbitrary and isolated to the school.
If this would have happened in the street what would this kid's legal recourse be towards the people that pushed him into the fight, the person who assaulted him, or even the teacher who slandered him? Just because this happened in a school doesn't mean that it is absolved from the actual law. If my kid was attacked in school I would essentially ignore the school and follow the usual legal actions of calling the police, filing a report, and potentially taking things further.
Maybe pursuing criminal charges would give you leverage over minimizing the expulsion? Or is something like this generally considered a wash when the attacker loses?
Do we have any legal experts on this board?
Sat, 02/12/2011 - 18:22
#3
Not only in the schools but just in general the rules around fighting are pretty random. Camera's are more likely to catch something now a days. When I was 21 I got sucker punched by 2 guys right outside a bar. Landed a perfect (or lucky?) hook to KO 1 guy and fought off the other one. I went to jail for a weekend, got probation for a year and did 80 hours of community service and to this day I have no idea how or what happened, other than what I wrote at the start. I got in trouble for protecting myself. I don't know why they did it, don't know who they are and the very next day I would not have been able to pick these guys out?
Schools don't have the man power to watch every place kids can go.
Sun, 02/13/2011 - 11:12
#4
Another reason why we are all doomed!
Thu, 02/17/2011 - 12:22
#5
@kyle, I said the same thing, made no sense.
@ballpt, I totally agree. especially because he was attacked by an 18 year old, I believe he is 16. But I dont think they called the police.
@blr, wow! That is crazy, cant believe you got that for defending yourself. And yeah I understand they cant see everything kids do, but a teacher witnessed the entire thing, and there was a video. Thats what didnt make sense to me. And even though they took it down from a expulsion to a suspension with a chance to make up work, its still going to make things extremely hard, and I believe the rule is 6 days. So if he misses 2 or more days, there's a good chance he will still fail. And who knows how many days he has already missed.
Thu, 02/17/2011 - 21:49
#6
anyone have names and a video?
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 14:07
#7
Never found the video. Dont know the names.
Mon, 02/21/2011 - 09:07
#8
yea that's crazy...
supposedly here around where i live in alabama they will take you to jail regardless of how or why the fight started. stupid stupid stupid!
I think the bully should have gotten expelled and the other guy should have been rewarded somehow for trying his best to avoid the situation.
Tue, 02/22/2011 - 07:19
#9
That's how assault is treated in most places. It's so assanine.
Essentially, you are arrested for assault, even if the guy swung on you unprovoked, and you were able to evade his atttack and successfully defend yourself. So, remember to let the guy get at least on shot in next time so that he gets pinched as well.
Tue, 02/22/2011 - 08:58
#10
I'd still rather win and spend a weekend in the pokey than lose and have something busted like my nose or jaw. 
Tue, 04/05/2011 - 22:01
#11
I am doing a paper on this subject right now. Any teachers or school works care to do a quick e mail interview. Or any one that has been affected by a Zero Tolerance fighiting policy.
We had a kid here turttle up like his teachers had told him and he spent 3 weeks in the hospital. I have had students kicked out of school for defending them selfs.
http://WWW.Karatemma.com
Created by MyFitnessPal.co
Sat, 04/16/2011 - 13:08
#12
hey man how did that paper go?
Sun, 07/15/2012 - 12:21
#13
This is just dumb... I say if someone else throws the first punch you have every right to put them in a hospital. Id rather have some delinquint in the hospital the wussing out and probably being killed. My parents raised my by a rule that goes"youll get in trouble for astarting a fight, but youd be in worse trouble for not ending one."
Sun, 07/15/2012 - 20:27
#14
These kinds of ridiculous school policies concerning fighting seem to be becoming more and more common nowadays. I graduated 3 years ago and I can remember that at my school, if you were found to be involved in any kind of physical altercation whatsoever, it was an automatic 3 days suspension minimum. This could include anything from 2 kids consenting to fight one another, one kid defending himself from another kid, or even just one kid flat out assaulting another kid. Either way, BOTH parties would get suspended.
Personally, I think these kinds of policies are a representation of the schools' desire to avoid liability costs, masquerading as a sentiment of trying to avoid violence at all costs.
Bottom line, whatever the school's intent for inacting these kinds of policies is, the end result is kids being more likely to choose to NOT defend themselves against a physical attack, which is sad, scary, and infuriating.
Sun, 07/15/2012 - 21:21
#15
My son fought one time it cost me 250 fine .I told him if he ever fought again to be ready for me when he got home. So one day he didnt fight he was beaten and got his eye brow split wide open .He said " Dad i didnt fight and look what happend to me" I ask the school who was gonna pay for my sons doctor bills ,There responce was they didnt know. That hospital bill cost me 2500 dollars .So my next advise to my son was kick @ss hit first hit hard hit fast and dont stop till someone pulles you off . Fighting is not the answer but when it is,Its the only answer. Hats off for the knock out !!dont back down when you are picked on i hope the 18 yr old punk learned a lesson. IN THE CAGE OR ON THE STREET JKD FOR LIFE .... HYBRID FIGHT GEAR >COM Thats there motto
Mon, 07/16/2012 - 10:16
#16
I had a simular situation happen to me in school. An older kid attacked me and I knocked him on his ass and proceeded to stomp 7 shades of sh*t out of him. To me it seems like schools don't really care who the aggressor was, whoever gets hurt the worst seems to have their backing. Understandable for liability reasons, but f*cking ridiculous from a moral standpoint. Getting in trouble for defending yourself is just beyond dumb. I agree with leeroy rather take whatever shit I get into defending myself than have this pretty face messed up.
When in doubt the left hook comes out.
Latest Comments
- 0 Comments 6 min 39 sec ago
- 0 Comments 9 min 52 sec ago
- 5 Comments 7 hours 8 min ago
- 6 Comments 7 hours 14 min ago
- 38 Comments 19 hours 54 min ago
- 1 Comments 23 hours 23 min ago
- 1 Comments 1 day 12 hours ago
- 0 Comments 1 day 21 hours ago
- 4 Comments 1 day 22 hours ago
- 7 Comments 5 days 2 hours ago
- 8 Comments 5 days 11 hours ago
- 3 Comments 5 days 11 hours ago
- 6 Comments 5 days 11 hours ago
- 2 Comments 5 days 11 hours ago
- 4 Comments 5 days 11 hours ago
Images
Sponsors
Schools are broken.
The things that make me sick are 1. A teacher lied and could have had an innocent kid expelled. WHY? And 2. Everyone stood by and watched, or instigated.