Thursday, December 02, 2004
"Zero intelligence" in the other direction
This blog occasionally links to stories about public school teachers or administrators doing idiotic things in the furtherance of some extreme school policy, and one of our favorite blogs is Zero Intelligence, listed on the blogroll to the right. Most of these stories involve school administrators enforcing some sort of PC speech code or punishing a student for a basically harmless but theoretically risky act (such as doing too many cartwheels). Because public schools are the government, most of these stories outrage conservatives.
Occasionally, though, you see a story that should outrage everybody. This story began when a classmate asked a 7 year old boy about his mother and father. He responded that he did not have a father, but that he had two mothers. Why? Because his mother is gay. "What does that mean?," the classmate asked. “Gay is when a girl likes another girl.” Fair enough.
Amazingly, the boy's teacher reprimanded him for using the word "gay," which she characterized as a bad word. Atrios has a picture of the frankly heart-breaking "confession" that the teacher extracted out of the poor boy.
The boy's mother complained and threatened to sue for discrimination. Much as I think many such complaints are hogwash, one look at the document this poor kid had to sign persuades me otherwise in this case. Indeed, I would think there is a good cause of action under Section 1983 for violation of the boy's First Amendment rights.
Oh. And the teacher that thinks that "gay" is a bad word? She has sued the mother of the boy for defamation. So not only has this hideous person degraded a seven year old boy, she is using the tort system to go after his mother.
Occasionally, though, you see a story that should outrage everybody. This story began when a classmate asked a 7 year old boy about his mother and father. He responded that he did not have a father, but that he had two mothers. Why? Because his mother is gay. "What does that mean?," the classmate asked. “Gay is when a girl likes another girl.” Fair enough.
Amazingly, the boy's teacher reprimanded him for using the word "gay," which she characterized as a bad word. Atrios has a picture of the frankly heart-breaking "confession" that the teacher extracted out of the poor boy.
The boy's mother complained and threatened to sue for discrimination. Much as I think many such complaints are hogwash, one look at the document this poor kid had to sign persuades me otherwise in this case. Indeed, I would think there is a good cause of action under Section 1983 for violation of the boy's First Amendment rights.
Oh. And the teacher that thinks that "gay" is a bad word? She has sued the mother of the boy for defamation. So not only has this hideous person degraded a seven year old boy, she is using the tort system to go after his mother.
2 Comments:
By 
Gordon Smith, at
Thu Dec 02, 05:03:00 PM:
Jack,
Thanks for posting on this subject. You're right, this is a story that ought to appall anyone.
By TigerHawk, at
Thu Dec 02, 06:51:00 PM:
Hey, I call 'em as I see 'em. It takes a fair amount to get me worked up, but the response of this public school -- and I googled up the school in question and it certainly looks like a public school -- is absolutely appalling. Yet another reason, Screwy, why we must free our children from the tyranny of monopoly schools.
