ACLU and "zero tolerance"

[Guy B. Meredith]

Some of us wondered when they would get their act together...

"Also Friday, the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said it sent a letter to Coventry Superintendent Kenneth DiPietro saying the school's policy was an unconstitutional violation of students' free speech. It called on the district to revise the policy.

Boy's hat project banned from school when he refused to replace toy soldiers carrying guns with unarmed toy soldiers.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/18...est=latestnews

[Bud Helms]

Let's see ... Law & Civil Rights ... hmmm.

American Civil Rights Union.

Yeah. Moving ...

[Buzzcook]

Umm, "free speech" the ACLU has been doing that for quite some time. Nothing new here.

[Guy B. Meredith]

I haven't seen the ACLU mentioned in other "zero tolerance" instances: chicken bone guns at schools, finger guns, etc.

[EricFi1]

the aclu took it upon itself to make a local school district near where I live rewrite it's disciplinary policy. my wife is a teacher in that district.
So far, suspending a student is limited to 1 day out of school, the rest in-house suspension, as so the child won't be dumbstruck by lack of an education.
and the student CAN carry weapons onto school grounds, and they can NOT be taken away unless the student waves the weapon in a threatening manner.
(so students get CCW rights, but us responsible adults don't.)
a student can not be suspended for more that 2 weeks in an entire school year, (including in-house suspension). Detensions can not last longer than 15 minutes.
to expel a student, a hearing MUST be attained, and legal counsel/advocate will be provided to the parents free of charge, as so they parents are aware of what's going on and the students legal rights.

The students have more power than administrators.. and you want to know why students go ape **** with guns in schools.. because the aclu is there to allow it. as a way of..........expressing themselves.

the district ran out of money 2 yrs ago and couldn't fight the aclu anymore and had to cave in. next year they're going to have enough funds to overturn this stupidity, but.. hard to say. when 1 attorney works for free, and the other is paid.. who do you think's gonna win?

OH.. for graduation at a school in the same district. a student was NOT going to graduate the 8th grade and will be held back.
the mother of this 1 child, went to the principal to say that nobody's names should be read aloud as so her child won't be embarassed because he won't be moving on with the rest of the class. the principal went to the superintendant... who made this across the board.. no school willl read aloud names of any graduating student, as to not offend anyone.

How stupid a society we're in.

[Guy B. Meredith]

The mental gymnastics are as amazing as the lack of link to reality. Hard to see the big picture when one is staring into one's navel.

[teeroux]

to expel a student, a hearing MUST be attained, and legal counsel/advocate will be provided to the parents free of charge, as so they parents are aware of what's going on and the students legal rights.

Yep just like in the real world outside of school where you have a right to fair trial, you should get one from the School Board also. IMHO there should be a branch of district court that handles only school matters involving long term disipline/legal matters and not the School Boards.

[Guy B. Meredith]

Uh, there is a real world equivalent to making those who succeed do without individual recognition to gentle those who don't do as well?

Agreed outside arbiters should be available to balance internal silliness, but should be scaled to the offense. Don't need a full fledged trial to decide on whether a drawing of a gun gets the student booted, just some common sense injected into the situation.

[highvel]

The ACLU, ha, if ever an organization could use glass navels; this would be one!

[RETG]

Not a lover of the ACLU; especially at national level. At the local level, they can sometimes be quite intelligent and fair minded in what they support.

Here is one example from a few years ago, where the Nevada ACLU supported the right to bear arms for residents of Nevada:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008...s-gun-control/

[johnwilliamson062]

Umm, "free speech" the ACLU has been doing that for quite some time. Nothing new here.

ACLU has historically shied away from many cases involving first or 4th amendment issues if they also contained guns. There have been many instances where students were crucified for something firearms related and the ACLU stood by when they would have jumped on board if it involved drugs or such.

[publius42]

Not a lover of the ACLU; especially at national level.

I have agreed with a lot of things the national ACLU has done, just not a fan when it comes to the second amendment. It will be interesting to see how their website update reads after the Supreme Court decision in McDonald comes down...

Given the reference to "a well regulated Militia" and "the security of a free State," the ACLU has long taken the position that the Second Amendment protects a collective right rather than an individual right. For seven decades, the Supreme Court's 1939 decision in United States v. Miller was widely understood to have endorsed that view.

The Supreme Court has now ruled otherwise. In striking down Washington D.C.'s handgun ban by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court's 2008 decision in D.C. v. Heller held for the first time that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to keep and bear arms, whether or not associated with a state militia.

The ACLU disagrees with the Supreme Court's conclusion about the nature of the right protected by the Second Amendment. We do not, however, take a position on gun control itself. In our view, neither the possession of guns nor the regulation of guns raises a civil liberties issue.

I think they're saying this forum should be closed.

[USAFNoDak]

What would happen if some student wore a T shirt which had the official seal of the US on it? If one looks at the official seal of the US, the eagle is holding arrows in one of it's claws. Would those be considered a weapon of violence, just as the toy gun in the hands of a little toy soldier was considered a weapon of violence in this latest, stupid, rediculous incident regarding "Zero" common sense tolerance. We are so far out in the rough, I wonder if even Tiger Woods can get hit us back onto the fairway. Of course, he has to get back on fairway himself, regarding his personal life. He's a few strokes back in that regard. No pun intended.

[Aguila Blanca]

The way this used to be handled at my school was that everyone's name was read, and everyone was handed a hardboard folder. Those who actually graduated got a folder with a diploma inside. Those who did not graduate received an empty folder.

Of course, this was fifty years ago, before the unfortunate demise of Common Sense.

[johnwilliamson062]

Same way it was done at my school in 2003.

[publius42]

Wow, who knew common sense died so recently?

[publius42]

Concerned Parents Demand Removal Of Arsenic From Periodic Table Of Elements

[SfcMac]

The ACLU has only this position on gun rights and the second amendment
that being the literal interpretation in accordance with the State Militia.
They will not defend your right to own a gun.Traditionally they shy away from the Gun controversy

[publius42]

The ACLU has only this position on gun rights and the second amendment
that being the literal interpretation in accordance with the State Militia.

At least until Monday...