High School Cuts Mic During Valedictorian Speech

[E.Marquez]

Ahh, sorry.. to me it reads as a student that figured the rules, clearly presented in advance of the event did not apply to him.

He got a good life lesson, now perhaps he will better understand that the laws and rules presented to him apply.. He may choose to violate them, but personal responsibility will require that he accept the consequences.

[RX8er]

Ahh, sorry.. to me it reads as a student that figured the rules, clearly presented in advance of the event did not apply to him.

He got a good life lesson, now perhaps he will better understand that the laws and rules presented to him apply.. He may choose to violate them, but personal responsibility will require that he accept the consequences.

I wonder if Rosa ever thought this way. Just because there are laws, doesn't mean people shouldn't stand up to them.

[E.Marquez]

Ahh, sorry.. to me it reads as a student that figured the rules, clearly presented in advance of the event did not apply to him.

He got a good life lesson, now perhaps he will better understand that the laws and rules presented to him apply.. He may choose to violate them, but personal responsibility will require that he accept the consequences.

I wonder if Rosa ever thought this way. Just because there are laws, doesn't mean people shouldn't stand up to them.

Well as the two events are about as far apart as possible.. I don't see that what she thought about her life and defining event would have any converging points at all on what a Highschool student who was given specific legal, moral, and ethical instructions for a speaking part in a school event.. Said Student was told the proper path to being able to say what he wanted in the address and was told in advance what would happen if he FAILED to follow those legal, moral and ethical instructions.

If he was not a dishonest person, he would have given the school the speech version he intended to make in advance as required.. But he want to pretend the rules did not apply and make a statement..
I find his actions dishonest and deceitful.

Now if he comes forward and proves he was forbidden from submitting the intended speech, or it was submitted and denied, edited, censored.. that would be different. But the info available at this point shows he simply choose to ignore the guidance and rules laid out for him..

[JALLEN]

I wish we would close the public schools, give the parents or guardians a voucher to be spent as they see fit, and let the market place provide educational opportunities that parents desire.

Frankly, I wished we lived in a society that didn't need lawyers. (Insert well known shark joke here). Looks like we're going to both be disappointed, huh?

That would be something, wouldn't it? Alas, as long as people love to cheat, cut corners, need help staying out of jail for robbing a bank, ignore laws and common sense, etc. there will be a role for lawyers.

The one thing I will miss about living here is swimming in the ocean which I used to love. I need not fear sharks, as I am entitled to professional courtesy.

The administration that "warned" against deviating from the approved speech doubtlessly required all graduates to appear for the event or suffer not getting the diploma.

Maybe, maybe not. I know that the high school where I work doe NOT require graduating senior to be present to get their diploma and diploma holder, but close to 99% of our eligible seniors (including ones who were finished with all of the graduating requirements from last year's summer school, and those that finished at mid-term have indicated that they will be there.

Splendid. I wouldn't be surprised to find pockets where ordinary common sense and pride still prevailed. Most schools require it, or the bleachers would be empty.

Decades ago, when graduating from school was seen as a genuine accomplishment and an occasion of pride, you did not have to compel attendance, or even a dress code. People were proud the graduates were graduating and dressed in a manner befitting the occasion. Nearly the whole town turned out for the spectacle and welcomed the new graduates into the community of adults, etc.

You are SO wrong about that generalization. Even when I graduated in 1969, administrators had to rein in over-enthusiastic graduation speeches (remember Vietnam - of course, then every high school graduate was facing at least the possibility of having that war in their immediate future, and the valedictorian in our class was ushered away from the microphone when she started railing against the government's policy of using draftees as "cannon fodder". dress codes had to be enforced as well - more than one young lady (remember the hippies?) tried to wear a tye-dyed loosely held shirt and/or low-slung hip-huggers (I do so miss those days!). It's not a modern phenomena, just ask any school administrator who's been doing graduations in the last 20 years.

and that may be the defining difference between when you graduated in 1969 and when I graduated in 1964. It is true we had an occasional "juvenile delinquent" in the school, some guy who Fonzie was modeled on or the miscreant female who disgraced herself with aberrant behavior. Those guys dropped out, unlamented, to lives ruined. Dress and haircut requirements were rigidly enforced and rather inflexible. A certain line was drawn beyond which you went at your peril, in language, manners, dress, and overall behavior. Your shortcomings were not the school's responsibility or problem.

We had no hippies or war protesters while I was in school. We fought over ROTC appointments, the guys were proud to go to A&M, be in the Corps. We grew up on John Wayne, the Sands of Iwo Jima, Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger. David Crockett and Sam Houston wouldn't be draft dodgers. We were used to hiding under our desks, surrounded by 5 or 6 AF bases, ground zero for the nuclear war that was always just a miscue away. Nobody ever thought about cannon fodder, although in the event, several of us ended up that way. Starting in the Class of 1966 or so that became somewhat more common, but not for us. None of my classmates went to Woodstock or would have. We wore shirts and ties to graduation under the robes and looked forward eagerly to doing so.

It is somewhere in the mid-60's that I place the tipping point between folks who identify with things as they used to be and those who fought against it, between those who took on responsibility for themselves, exerted effort to better themselves as a matter of course, were proud and eager to do so, bathed and groomed regularly and those who were less so. We in the Class of 64 were more like the Class of 61 than the Class of 67, and far different from the Class of 69.

OTOH, having a rifle in the pick up truck in the parking lot, or a knife in your jeans, raised no eyebrows.

Now that government compels every nuance, every step, down to what is allowed to be said at the ceremony, maybe it's not worth fooling with. Most of the "education" inflicted on these hapless innocent children isn't, and everybody knows it.

So, you'd allow a student to stand up at graduation and start railing against a particular church or group of churches, or would let them recommend violent revolution within your little burg, or suggest to the rest of their class that there shouldn't be rules that govern minor's use of alcohol, or praise the act of abortion, or start cussing up a blue streak?

And ruin every other parent's memory of when their little Suzy and Johnnie graduated from high school?

Nope, I didn't think you would, either.

That's why valedictorians speeches have to be pre-approved. And the school, any school whether it's public, private or parochial, has the right to insist that the student keep to his pre-approved script.

I would dispense with them altogether, along with the school. Public schools as presently configured and operated are little more than baby sitting services for prepubescent children and dating services for post-pubescent ones. The only thing I haven't figured out a good solution for is Friday night football.

[RX8er]

Well as the two events are about as far apart as possible.. I don't see that what she thought about her life and defining event would have any converging points at all on what a Highschool student who was given specific legal, moral, and ethical instructions for a speaking part in a school event.. Said Student was told the proper path to being able to say what he wanted in the address and was told in advance what would happen if he FAILED to follow those legal, moral and ethical instructions.

If he was not a dishonest person, he would have given the school the speech version he intended to make in advance as required.. But he want to pretend the rules did not apply and make a statement..
I find his actions dishonest and deceitful.

Now if he comes forward and proves he was forbidden from submitting the intended speech, or it was submitted and denied, edited, censored.. that would be different. But the info available at this point shows he simply choose to ignore the guidance and rules laid out for him..

Agreed, they are very far apart but not the concept; exactly the same. Rosa was told the exact same thing about the rules. She was told what bus and where to sit on the bus and was even warned multiple times. She stood up to the rules that, in the time, was very much not in her favor.

Let's take this to the simplest form possible.

Rules present
Rules told to person
Person stands up to rule


My point is that if everyone were to just sit down and shut up because of the rules (harsh but this is your point) or they were told it's against the rules, we would not be where we are today. It takes people to stand up to those rules. I think, you think that, I think we differ that I think he should have been allowed to do this at school and you don't. IMHO, I have always thought that if you subject your children to public school, then you suffer the outcome and censorship.

Am I correct that you are saying your only problem with this is that it happened in a high school? What about college? Or, some other pre-approved speaking arrangement. I've seen it and heard it at the Academy awards, CMT awards and all those other places. Is it okay here or no because there are rules set ahead of time?

[JALLEN]

This year, graduation has become a battleground for some school officials and students. With schools tightening restrictions on who gets to walk, seniors are fighting for their rights in the last hours of their high school careers.

Take 17-year-old Chelsey Ramer. Her private school, Escambia Academy, is holding the Alabama grad's diploma and transcripts until she pays a $1,000 fine—all because she hung a lone eagle feather alongside her cap’s tassel during her May 23 commencement ceremony.

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/high-s ... 00808.html

This is a private school. Wonder where they get off fining a student?

[OldCurlyWolf]

This year, graduation has become a battleground for some school officials and students. With schools tightening restrictions on who gets to walk, seniors are fighting for their rights in the last hours of their high school careers.

Take 17-year-old Chelsey Ramer. Her private school, Escambia Academy, is holding the Alabama grad's diploma and transcripts until she pays a $1,000 fine—all because she hung a lone eagle feather alongside her cap’s tassel during her May 23 commencement ceremony.

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/high-s ... 00808.html

This is a private school. Wonder where they get off fining a student?

At that age I would have spent double the equivalent on a law suit over the bull of holding the diploma and the temerity to even dare to think they had the right to fine me.

[Oldgringo]

I wish we would close the public schools, give the parents or guardians a voucher to be spent as they see fit, and let the market place provide educational opportunities that parents desire.

The administration that "warned" against deviating from the approved speech doubtlessly required all graduates to appear for the event or suffer not getting the diploma.

Decades ago, when graduating from school was seen as a genuine accomplishment and an occasion of pride, you did not have to compel attendance, or even a dress code. People were proud the graduates were graduating and dressed in a manner befitting the occasion. Nearly the whole town turned out for the spectacle and welcomed the new graduates into the community of adults, etc.

Now that government compels every nuance, every step, down to what is allowed to be said at the ceremony, maybe it's not worth fooling with. Most of the "education" inflicted on these hapless innocent children isn't, and everybody knows it.

FWIW, I agree. This is not your father's Oldsmobile.

I graduated from high school in 1960. The only thing I remember about that is the governor showing up late for his commencement address drunk. I also remember going to work on a towboat at 0530 the next morning. In summation, HS graduation is a big deal for a couple of weeks.....if that. Nothing to see here, move along please......

[C-dub]

I just returned form a Niece's graduation ceremony and after they crossed the stage they all moved their tassels from the right to the left side together as a class then did their alma-mater, then allowed one other student to come and lead the class in a prayer. This is a large 5A school. I was surprised and proud.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Having just celebrated my oldest's high school graduation last week, this is very fresh.

1. I'm ok with it. This is effectively a captive audience. The parents, grandparents, and other relatives did not go there to be lectured to, they came to watch their rugrat graduate.

2. Frankly I would have been fine if they had cut all the speeches to the principal's speech, sang the school song, passed out the sheepskins, and let us out.

[VMI77]

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... 915c035130

According to this article it was the school that broke the rules, and the principal wanted to torpedo the kid's nomination to the Naval Academy in retribution. Here's the speech:

“We are all fortunate to live in a country where we can express our beliefs, where our mics won’t be turned off, as I have been threatened to be if I veer away from the school-censored speech I have just finished,” he said according to the Star. “Just as Jesus spoke out against the authority of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who tried to silence him, I will not have my freedom of speech taken away from me. And I urge you all to do the same. Do not let anyone take away your religious or Constitutional rights from you.”

But Sasser said the school district violated state and federal laws by censoring Reimer’s speech. He said the law, along with local school policy, requires the school to distance itself from the valedictorian’s speech. That means not editing or drafting the speech.

The school was also required to publish a message in the graduation program that read in part, “the content of each student-speaker’s message is the private expression of the individual student and does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position or expression of the District.”

Sasser said contrary to the law and its own policies the Joshua Independent School District failed to include the disclaimer and not only edited – but tried to control Reimer’s speech.

[RX8er]

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... 915c035130

According to this article it was the school that broke the rules, and the principal wanted to torpedo the kid's nomination to the Naval Academy in retribution. Here's the speech:

“We are all fortunate to live in a country where we can express our beliefs, where our mics won’t be turned off, as I have been threatened to be if I veer away from the school-censored speech I have just finished,” he said according to the Star. “Just as Jesus spoke out against the authority of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who tried to silence him, I will not have my freedom of speech taken away from me. And I urge you all to do the same. Do not let anyone take away your religious or Constitutional rights from you.”

But Sasser said the school district violated state and federal laws by censoring Reimer’s speech. He said the law, along with local school policy, requires the school to distance itself from the valedictorian’s speech. That means not editing or drafting the speech.

The school was also required to publish a message in the graduation program that read in part, “the content of each student-speaker’s message is the private expression of the individual student and does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position or expression of the District.”

Sasser said contrary to the law and its own policies the Joshua Independent School District failed to include the disclaimer and not only edited – but tried to control Reimer’s speech.

Darn, you beat me to the point. I heard today that some alphabet groups are formulating their legal challenge. In the same report, it is alleged that the principle made threats to send letters to the Naval academy and will try to "punish" him for what he said. The question was raised was it what he said or that he violated the schools unconstitutional policy.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Having just attended my son's high school graduation, I can safely say that the absolutely only thing that matters in a Valedictory speech is how long it is. Cutting it off at the beginning might have gotten a standing ovation from me.

[mamabearCali]

Either let them say what they want, and edit only for vulgarity and time or don't let them give speeches. I am fine either way. This PC baloney is way out of hand.

[Texas Sheepdog]

This is a private school. Wonder where they get off fining a student?

If they have any authority to fine her, it's in the contract, like the NCAA and the NBA. The news article quotes her as saying "it was worth every penny of the thousand dollars" so it sounds like it's settled to everybody's satisfaction.