I hope this makes you angry....

[ejr]

If the school had been informed that this call was coming, than what happened was absolutely wrong.

And, while I agree with you, Jen, that we must honor and support our men and women overseas in every way possible, I do have some mixed feelings about some of this.

Most schools do not permit the use of cell phones in school, and certainly do not permit their use in class. Yes, the child of a soldier should be able to talk with them whenever that can happen, but, it is distracting and disruptive to a class to have a cell phone go off during a class. Furthermore, by having cell phones turned on during class, students can sit there and text friends---we are developing policy to deal with this as we have a few students texting away throughout their class.

What should have happened, is the administration should have notified all teachers that this student might get a call from a parent in Iraq. The student should have the phone on vibrate, and the teacher should have been instructed to allow the student to leave the room to take the call.

[East Texas Parrothead]

We're different out here in small town America. If a kid got a call from his daddy in Iraq, the call would have been patched through the Public Address system so everyone could enjoy it ... then, they would have called the boy to the office and given him plenty of private time with his dad.

Rules are stoopid in situations like this. Reason should prevail. Not rules.

Just my 2 cents ....

[Migration Michelle]

What should have happened, is the administration should have notified all teachers that this student might get a call from a parent in Iraq. The student should have the phone on vibrate, and the teacher should have been instructed to allow the student to leave the room to take the call.

Great idea! That would've been a perfect way to handle it!

[Dally]

Not so fast...this student and his Mother KNEW his father would be calling from Iraq.
IMHO, if the Mother had discussed the call with the school and teacher BEFOREHAND; I have no doubt they would have supported the call.

Many school districts do not allow students to receive calls in class.
This student is expecting an apology from the district, when in fact he should be apologizing for not pre-aranging the call with them.

A little courtesy and pre-planning on the part of this family could likely have avoided this whole mess.

I can't possibly disagree more strongly. The video clip I saw said they didn't know he when he would call, but that's beside the point. The father cleared it with the Assistant Principal and as far as the family knew, it was okay.

But never mind any of that... This man is in a WAR ZONE. He may have one chance a week to get to a phone and call his son. What's more important, five minutes of class or a call from his father, any one of which might be the last call he receives.

THIS KID NO MORE OWES THAT SCHOOL DISTRICT AN APOLOGY THAN THE MAN IN THE MOON. HIS FATHER IS PROTECTING THEIR FREEDOM EVERY DAY AND HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE A CALL ANYTIME.

I could not agree more, Jen.

[sonofabeach]

I agree with ejr that cell phones should not be in the class or turned off but that's neither here nor there. The fact is it was his dad in Iraq so I think he should have gotten a pass. But since he did not, I agree with Dave. Sack up and take one for the old man. The school looks like pr*cks on this one and most everyone knows it now.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

I agree with ejr that cell phones should not be in the class or turned off but that's neither here nor there. The fact is it was his dad in Iraq so I think he should have gotten a pass. But since he did not, I agree with Dave. Sack up and take one for the old man. The school looks like pr*cks on this one and most everyone knows it now.

And what happens next time the phone rings?

[ejr]

I agree with ejr that cell phones should not be in the class or turned off but that's neither here nor there. The fact is it was his dad in Iraq so I think he should have gotten a pass. But since he did not, I agree with Dave. Sack up and take one for the old man. The school looks like pr*cks on this one and most everyone knows it now.

And what happens next time the phone rings?

Jen-I totally appreciate your position, but the restrictions on cell phones are there to prevent disruption in the classroom for any reasons.

Perhaps the call could go to the school who could then go get the kid and bring the kid to the phone (and yes, I know that would cause a delay of a couple of minutes that could make a difference).

I understand that the school may not have handled this in the best way possible, but I am not sure there is a perfect response to this.

Last weekend, I administered the ACTs at our school---it is very clearly spelled out that if a cell phone is on and rings at any time, that student will have the exam invalidated--period. Same is true if you are serving on jury duty or in most courtrooms.

I don't have a definitive answer, but I also just don't see this as a clear cut question.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

I agree with ejr that cell phones should not be in the class or turned off but that's neither here nor there. The fact is it was his dad in Iraq so I think he should have gotten a pass. But since he did not, I agree with Dave. Sack up and take one for the old man. The school looks like pr*cks on this one and most everyone knows it now.

And what happens next time the phone rings?

Jen-I totally appreciate your position, but the restrictions on cell phones are there to prevent disruption in the classroom for any reasons.

Perhaps the call could go to the school who could then go get the kid and bring the kid to the phone (and yes, I know that would cause a delay of a couple of minutes that could make a difference).

I understand that the school may not have handled this in the best way possible, but I am not sure there is a perfect response to this.

Last weekend, I administered the ACTs at our school---it is very clearly spelled out that if a cell phone is on and rings at any time, that student will have the exam invalidated--period. Same is true if you are serving on jury duty or in most courtrooms.

I don't have a definitive answer, but I also just don't see this as a clear cut question.

I agree for ACTs but in class it's simple. A couple of people said it above: allow the student to have the phone in his pocket, on vibrate, and if his father (and only in the case of his father) calls, step outside the classroom and take the call. This is crystal clear to me.....

From the article I read, the school is balking at meeting with the mother and working out a solution. That's ridiculous.....

[ejr]

absolutely. as always, sensitivity, and the ability to put one's self in the other person's shoes would go a long way to solving much of what is wrong in the world.

[Tarheel Tail-Gator]

I agree with ejr that cell phones should not be in the class or turned off but that's neither here nor there. The fact is it was his dad in Iraq so I think he should have gotten a pass. But since he did not, I agree with Dave. Sack up and take one for the old man. The school looks like pr*cks on this one and most everyone knows it now.

And what happens next time the phone rings?

Jen-I totally appreciate your position, but the restrictions on cell phones are there to prevent disruption in the classroom for any reasons.

Perhaps the call could go to the school who could then go get the kid and bring the kid to the phone (and yes, I know that would cause a delay of a couple of minutes that could make a difference).

I understand that the school may not have handled this in the best way possible, but I am not sure there is a perfect response to this.

Last weekend, I administered the ACTs at our school---it is very clearly spelled out that if a cell phone is on and rings at any time, that student will have the exam invalidated--period. Same is true if you are serving on jury duty or in most courtrooms.

I don't have a definitive answer, but I also just don't see this as a clear cut question.

I agree for ACTs but in class it's simple. A couple of people said it above: allow the student to have the phone in his pocket, on vibrate, and if his father (and only in the case of his father) calls, step outside the classroom and take the call. This is crystal clear to me.....

From the article I read, the school is balking at meeting with the mother and working out a solution. That's ridiculous.....

If the school is refusing to meet with the mother, that's completely insane. It is a public school system and a parent should be able to request a meeting with administration on any subject.

As a sidenote, we recently went through the cell phone debate regarding the youth group at our church. Phones and Ipods were becoming too much of a distraction, so the leaders banned cell phones from mission trips/retreats etc. Some parents balked, but alternative emergency procedures were established.

It's amazing how technology advances us and declines us at the same time. Twenty years ago, a serviceman stationed overseas would have had to make a landline call or rely on the postal service to communicate back home. Now cell phones and the Internet provide a much quicker means of communication.

[Dutch Harbor PH]

That is just plain ...wrong....that being said....... I would wear that suspension as a badge of honour.....every oppertunity that was presented I would speak out about it...... Good for him, we should all be proud of him...and ashamed of the school for letting this stand ( I have no problem with them, the school, enforcing their policy, however they should recognize the significance of the call and back down....and in a hurry).

Well done and carry on young man.

[RinglingRingling]

good points were raised on both sides:

if the school district knew about the inbound call, they should have at least let the student's teachers know that it was a possibility, and that if a call came in, on vibrate, that the student could ask for permission to be excused for the call.

if the student had asked about taking the call, in the context of the teachers being notified, it would have been better.

It's not like the kid in SC a couple years back who got popped for having a dangerous weapon (a bread knife) in his truck after a shift at a local food kitchen. That suspension cost him his college scholarship because there is a zero-tolerance policy on weapons in his district. Take the suspension, and smile at the stupidity of zero tolerance. It's two days out of class. It isn't like it's going to kill the path your life takes the same way the SC suspension did.

[carey24]

What's even better is that we had someone here write in and compare kids getting calls from parents in Iraq to kids having parents in jail and wanting to get their calls.

hmmmmm........being in jail....or serving your country.... yeah they go together. of course.

[Conolulu]

We're different out here in small town America. If a kid got a call from his daddy in Iraq, the call would have been patched through the Public Address system so everyone could enjoy it ... then, they would have called the boy to the office and given him plenty of private time with his dad.

Rules are stoopid in situations like this. Reason should prevail. Not rules.

Just my 2 cents ....

It would have happened like that back home in Fernandina too....Small town. They may have even put it in the weekly newspaper...Seriously!

This boy no more deserves a suspension than I do....and I've been out of school a looonnnngggg time!

The school knew ahead of time....that had been established. He took the call....and that should be the end of it.

I cannot believe the school's actions.

but I bet they were up really late trying to figure out how to handle damage control...

[flyboy55]

If I were this young man and I got in trouble for this deed, I would cowboy up and take my licks with pleasure. There are not many times in your life when you can take one for your Dad. He is the one always catching s*** for what you have done. It's about time the tables were turned. This high school hero can face his father on homecoming day in the airport and say, "I got busted, but it was worth it. I love you, Dad."

There is no discipline in the world that can undo that kind of bonding moment.

True enough.

I think if it had been me on the receiving end of a planned telephone call, I would have just skipped school and taken the call at home. Honestly, there isn't much that goes on in high school on any given day to worry about missing it.

[flipflopgirl]

Not so fast...this student and his Mother KNEW his father would be calling from Iraq.
IMHO, if the Mother had discussed the call with the school and teacher BEFOREHAND; I have no doubt they would have supported the call.

Many school districts do not allow students to receive calls in class.
This student is expecting an apology from the district, when in fact he should be apologizing for not pre-aranging the call with them.

A little courtesy and pre-planning on the part of this family could likely have avoided this whole mess.

I can't possibly disagree more strongly. The video clip I saw said they didn't know he when he would call, but that's beside the point. The father cleared it with the Assistant Principal and as far as the family knew, it was okay.

But never mind any of that... This man is in a WAR ZONE. He may have one chance a week to get to a phone and call his son. What's more important, five minutes of class or a call from his father, any one of which might be the last call he receives.

THIS KID NO MORE OWES THAT SCHOOL DISTRICT AN APOLOGY THAN THE MAN IN THE MOON. HIS FATHER IS PROTECTING THEIR FREEDOM EVERY DAY AND HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE A CALL ANYTIME.

This is totally ridiculous!!!!!!!!!! I really hope this school district sees the error of it's ways!!!!!!!!!

[flipflopgirl]

Here is the email i sent:
I am writing to you after hearing of the suspension of Brandon Hill, son of Master Sgt. Morris Hill . As a citizen of this country ,one who appreciates the military and the freedoms the men and women of our military forces fight for every day ,i can only say that this suspension angers and saddens me.Because my mother taught me respect for teachers and those older than me i will curb my language. Why in GOD'S name is this boy being suspended? It was made known that his father is fighting in Iraq and may call AT ANY TIME! Your school district needs to GET A GRIP about what is important in this day and age! If i was a tax payer in your district i would be really p*** and be calling for resignations! I hope you all see what is right in this situation and reverse this suspension an apologize to this boy and his family.

Thank you for your time.

[LIBuffettFan]

Wow...I have just read this and I can't believe a school would take actions like this against a student. I read the new article from KXXV-TV and they say that close to half the students in this school have one or both parents deployed, I would think they would be even more understanding of this type of situation. They also apparently went back on the arrangement about these calls that had been made by the father in advance. Maybe the should suspend the teacher for two days for not having a heart

[Migration Michelle]

Get a load of this response I was just reading on the newspaper blog:

I agree... 04-15-2008 18:11:10
There is no reason families of military should be exempted from the same rules as the rest of the populace, whether it is cellphones in high schools or a lowered drinking age for recruits.

Everyone should be playing by the same rules. If you don't like them, change them for everyone, not just your little whippersnapper.

I CANNOT believe how some people view the world....absolutely pathetic.

[Skibo]

I think if it had been me on the receiving end of a planned telephone call, I would have just skipped school and taken the call at home. Honestly, there isn't much that goes on in high school on any given day to worry about missing it.

This would have easily avoided the problem. Schools have rules. They should be followed. I look forward to the day where the cellular companies cooperate with the schools and implement denial of service policies for non-emergency calls when on school grounds.