Yes, he could have quit hunting earlier so he would have had time to take his shotgun home before going to school.
Given that, should he have been expelled?
A Willows High School student who was expelled for having firearms in his pickup that was parked near the school will be reinstated and have the disciplinary action expunged from his record.I've long railed against schools that try to extend their authority to the off-campus lives of students. I think the board ruled appropriately in this case.
That ruling was made this morning by the Glenn County Board of Education acting on an appeal filed by Gary Tudesko. The hearing was open to the public at the request of Tudesko's parents.
Board President Judy Holzapfel, reading from a written version of the board's decision, said that in expelling Tudesko, the Willows Unified School District exceeded its jurisdiction based on acts "that did not occur on school grounds or at a school activity off of school grounds."
Reading the comments at the link, I'm struck by an obvious omission. Didn't the student make the correct choice in trying to get to school on time, and knowing he had firearms, choosing not to park on campus where he knew he would be breaking the law?
So you might think that the issue is over, but it's not:
Willows Unified superintendent Steve Olmos said it is up to the school board whether to pursue further legal action. He said the school will seek support from outside groups such as teachers unions.
The County Board of Education rules against him, and the superintendent wants the local school board to consider further action. In education parlance, we call this gentleman an "idiot". Also, what does he expect a teachers union to do in this situation?
He's the second superintendent I've written about in the last half-hour who needs to be shown the door.
Good for the school board.
ReplyDeleteScott hits the nail on the head as far as the superintendent is concerned. He overstepped his bounds, did something stupid and now he tries even harder to do it more.
Ridiculous. It was only about 7 years ago that I was in high school, but I was also in a very small town out in the mountains. Sometimes kids would forget that there is a shotgun in the back of their truck. Know how it was handled? They'd go tell the school cop. He'd go get their gun and keep it in the office until they were ready to go, and then he'd take it back out to them. There were a lot of hunters, it was never a real issue.
ReplyDeletePretty much EVERYONE carried a knife, no matter who you were. That was just fine on school grounds as long as the blade was 2.5 inches or smaller.
Expelling a kid for a simple oversight, while not even on school grounds, is preposterous.