Suspended for going to prom?

[3074326]

I find the bolded part absolutely ridiculous. It's pretty much the reason I posted this.

Ohio teen expects suspension for prom trip - Life- msnbc.com

FINDLAY, Ohio - An Ohio teenager says he expects to be suspended from a Christian school for attending a public school prom with his girlfriend.

Officials at Heritage Christian School in Findlay had warned 17-year-old Tyler Frost that he would be suspended and prohibited from attending graduation if he went to the Saturday dance. The fundamentalist Baptist school in northwest Ohio forbids dancing, rock music and hand holding.

Frost says he went to the dance because he wanted to experience the prom and didn't think it was wrong.

School officials say he could complete his final exams separately to receive a diploma.

Frost's stepfather says the rules shouldn't apply outside of school and he may take legal action if Frost is suspended.

 

[NFBuck]

Fuckin' fascists.

 

[Mac]

Lol I'm Nazarene and supposedly we don't believe in dancing...but shit I dance my life away for the ladies all the time haha. If I were this kids parents, I would sue the absolute SHIT out of this school. That is just absurd.

 

[Gatorubet]

They are the American Taliban. Scary. And why I like to keep religion out of politics, because you never know who is going to interpret the words in a shared religious book in a different way than you would...which sort of makes the "God's word" thing just a matter of debate like any other law.

 

[Flocka]

Lol I'm Nazarene and supposedly we don't believe in dancing...but shit I dance my life away for the ladies all the time haha. If I were this kids parents, I would sue the absolute SHIT out of this school. That is just absurd.

You can't sue the school, no one forced him to go there. (Besides his parents maybe)

 

[hoat]

no hand holding...hmmm...schweaty palms?

 

[Gatorubet]

You can't sue the school, no one forced him to go there. (Besides his parents maybe)

I'm not so sure. Not for money maybe, but to challenge the suspension. If your kid's school forbid alcohol, it is fine if they suspend him for bringing alcohol to school, but if you let your kid have a glass of wine in your own home, they could not suspend him for what you do out of their facility.

What do the rules actually say? Forbid dancing in your life? At Heritage school? What? The school-student relationship at a private is essentially a contract, and if the contract is vague, it is interpreted against the author (in this case the school).

 

[Flocka]

I'm not so sure. Not for money maybe, but to challenge the suspension. If your kid's school forbid alcohol, it is fine if they suspend him for bringing alcohol to school, but if you let your kid have a glass of wine in your own home, they could not suspend him for what you do out of their facility.

What do the rules actually say? Forbid dancing in your life? At Heritage school? What? The school-student relationship at a private is essentially a contract, and if the contract is vague, it is interpreted against the author (in this case the school).

Private schools can most definetly suspend a student for something that happens outside of school.

 

[Gatorubet]

Private schools can most definetly suspend a student for something that happens outside of school.

I agree they can. But only if they have articulated the rule clearly enough so that it includes dancing in non-school settings. All I'm saying....

 

[Flocka]

I agree they can. But only if they have articulated the rule clearly enough so that it includes dancing in non-school settings. All I'm saying....

All they had to do was give a warning saying they're students were not allowed to go to a public school prom or events where whatever takes place and they are fine.

 

[jwinslow]

I agree they can. But only if they have articulated the rule clearly enough so that it includes dancing in non-school settings.

Is there some evidence that dancing was not clearly against the rules? Or are you trying to argue that the rule could have implied that they were not permitted to dance while at the school that doesn't permit dancing?

The two rebuttals listed in the article were:
1) Didn't think it was wrong (even though he was warned that it was)
2) Didn't think the rules should apply outside of school

That's not the most convincing set of arguments.

 

[buckeyebri]

Is there some evidence that dancing was not clearly against the rules? Or are you trying to argue that the rule could have implied that they were not permitted to dance while at the school that doesn't permit dancing?

The two rebuttals listed in the article were:
1) Didn't think it was wrong (even though he was warned that it was)
2) Didn't think the rules should apply outside of school

That's not the most convincing set of arguments.

hmmmm kid is told don't do it, it is against the rules....kid makes CHOICE to do it and now has to suffer the consequences....parents jump in and threaten lawsuit......

Now where have I heard this crap before........

 

[jwinslow]

hmmmm kid is told don't do it, it is against the rules....kid makes CHOICE to do it and now has to suffer the consequences....parents jump in and threaten lawsuit......

Now where have I heard this crap before........

exactly. The rule might be overboard to some, but they knew that going in.

 

[Gatorubet]

Is there some evidence that dancing was not clearly against the rules? Or are you trying to argue that the rule could have implied that they were not permitted to dance while at the school that doesn't permit dancing?

The two rebuttals listed in the article were:
1) Didn't think it was wrong (even though he was warned that it was)
2) Didn't think the rules should apply outside of school

That's not the most convincing set of arguments.

hmmmm kid is told don't do it, it is against the rules....kid makes CHOICE to do it and now has to suffer the consequences....parents jump in and threaten lawsuit......

Now where have I heard this crap before........

exactly. The rule might be overboard to some, but they knew that going in.

You are not getting it. I am saying that if the school rules said "if you ever dance - anywhere, our school, another school, in the shower - you will be suspended" then the kid did what he wanted and no bitching.

If the school rule said "School rules do not permit dancing of any kind" then that is vague as to location and circumstances, while admittedly it certainly would not allow dancing at Heritage.

All I am saying it that none of us know the contract. And if the rule was vague, and it was some teacher who said "you cannot go to the prom" but the official school rule was silent about it, you still have an issue unless they give individual teachers the authority to make rules for the school administration, which is not often the case. They can control classroom conduct certainly, but whether the kid should be suspended for one teacher's opinion of dancing outside of school, absent a clear administration articulation of that "outside of school" rule, then is not certain in my mind.

If he just said "screw the rules", then he is SOL as far as I am concerned and I have no sympathy for him - outside of his parents silly choice to send him to such a nutjob place.

 

[jwinslow]

Officials at Heritage Christian School in Findlay had warned 17-year-old Tyler Frost that he would be suspended and prohibited from attending graduation if he went to the Saturday dance. The fundamentalist Baptist school in northwest Ohio forbids dancing, rock music and hand holding.

To me, it sounds pretty straightforward. If the school forbids dancing, then they forbid dancing. Considering they probably never hold dances there, I don't think there would be much confusion over where that rule would be applied. I imagine they forbid premarital sex as well, and I doubt that's limited to school grounds.

It's quite common for schools to have codes of conduct. It's much more common for those students to ignore them and argue when they're caught.

Frost says he went to the dance because he wanted to experience the prom and didn't think it was wrong.

Frost's stepfather says the rules shouldn't apply outside of school and he may take legal action if Frost is suspended.

Sounds a lot more like what they want the rule to be than what it is.

If the rule didn't apply to the prom, I would think someone would say that, instead of thinking it shouldn't apply.