Student suspended over cell call from mom in Iraq

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

But where do you draw the line? Unless it's a case of a student's health, as in Prudence's case, making an exception for this student opens a loophole that's too big to deal with. "My parents are divorced and my dad lives on the opposite coast so I never get to see him and he works odd hours so he can't call often," for instance. That's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are plenty of enterprising students who could come up with other excuses.

Yes, I agree. However "my parent is half way around the world in a war zone" is quite different then your argument.

Exceptions should be made for vital situations. Receiving a "how are you doing" phone call is not a vital situation. Yes, we're all used to being connected to everyone all the time, but believe it or not, people once survived in this world without being able to instantly contact everyone they know at all times.

This may be one of those unless you've been there situations you won't fully understand. Receiving a "how are you doing phone call" from a loved one in a war zone is totally different then receiving the same call from someone in another state. I agree that people survived in this world without being able to instantly connect with everyone they know at all times. This isn't that situation.

At the very least, she should have called the school and asked permission, not simply called the kid directly, assuming they are somehow a special case that can just ignore the rules for their own convenience. It's disruptive.

I agree that she should have called the admin office, or had the child's father or guardian call, but it's not like she had unlimited phone usage. Like I said, shades of gray...

And going on pure conjecture, based on the kid's reaction, I'm guessing this isn't the first time he's learned the lesson that the rules don't apply to him. If he had simply appologized and dealt calmly with the teacher, it wouldn't have been an issue. But that kind of over reaction is symptomatic of someone who has not been taught to respect authority.

Or it may have been. LSPE said it best... Children act out when they aren't receiving the attention of their parent in the room, let alone across the country. His mom isn't on some exotic vacation calling to say hi. She is out there risking her life and her phone times are most likely few and far between. This may have been her only phone call for her entire deployment.

Oh, and you can be sure that I'd be swearing up a storm at the person trying to tell me to get off the phone with my deployed parent or loved one.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I have to disagree with my husband on this.

I can't imagine the amount of stress a child with a mother deployed feels. Deployments are for LONG periods of time. Do you know how long 6 months is to a 17 year old? Can you imagine having your mother taken away to a war zone?

I think I'd do exactly what the kid did - swear at the teacher for actually trying to tell me I can't talk to my mom that was torn away from me.

BTD is right about timezone stuff too. If you get one chance to call your kid, you take it.

Comparing a divorced parent's calls to this is just silly, IMHO.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I'm not saying the rules aren't justified. I am saying that I feel bad for the kid, who's surely having a hard time if he's that upset about a call from his mother.

[Name]

yeah, I'd have to go with the "this is the last time I may be able to talk to my mother again" road on this one.....sure it could be the same for any one of us at any time, however, the odds are stacked strongly in this families favor for that to be more a reality. War sucks, and they don't give to many chances to make a phone call often when in a forward position. So I feel for this kid, and his mother, its a messed up situation.

[Morrigoon]

School administrators have one aim: to maintain order.

Making exceptions, or allowing personal phone calls upsets and threatens that order. I understand where they're coming from, but in that kids position, I'd have walked out. Fvck their administrative posteriors, I'd be talking to Mom. Some things are more important than a school administrator getting their panties in a knot over me breaking a rule, and worth the punishment. In this case, that's what he did, he was punished, and it was probably worth every bit of the punishment. But it's still stupid that he had to be punished.

Well, I take that back. Getting punished for the cussing is reasonable. But I'd have cussed too

[sleepyjeff]

Yet the schools are the ones always telling the parents they should be more involved

[DisneyFan25863]

I read somewhere that

a) the kid was at lunch, and the teacher tried to forcibly pry it from his hands, and
b) the kids Dad died 5 years ago, and he's in foster care


If I was at lunch and my mom called me from Iraq, I would have taken it as well. Its not like he was in class or anything.

[wendybeth]

Sorry, GD- not with you on this one. These are unusual times, and no one knows what that kid is going through. His mom is in a combat zone, and he didn't want to hang up on her. Kudos to him- most kids his age don't want to talk to their parents. If he reacted inappropriately, then he can take his punishment, but he likely had reason to react the way he did. (Not saying the school gave him a reason, just that life in general, etc, is probably getting to him). I know the school has to maintain order, but what harm would there have been in letting him finish his conversation?

[€uroMeinke]

I think Mother and son should learn how to text message