Classroom Incident Sparks First Amendment Debate

  • Wanna Join? New users you can now register lightning fast using your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
T

ThaG

Sicc OG
#1
Jun 30, 2005
9,597
1,687
113
#1
http://www.channel3000.com/news/14917600/detail.html

JANESVILLE, Wis. -- A classroom incident at a Janesville high school two weeks ago is raising some concerns about freedom of speech and school safety.

VIDEO: Watch The Report

Some Janesville parents said that they're concerned that in this incident, in which a student allegedly tore pages from a Bible, the balance between the two was tipped toward the First Amendment, WISC-TV reported.

As many Parker High School students get ready for Christmas break, junior Elle Jacobson is at home and will not be returning like her friends.

"I have never felt threatened like that in a classroom before," said Jacobson.

The 17-year-old is talking about an incident in her English class two weeks ago during a class presentation.

"This boy got up and his visual aid was a Bible and a book. And he got up and started his speech by saying 'Now, this piece of crap' and pointed to the Bible."

Jacobson said that she quickly felt threatened.

"He took the Bible and he said, 'I'm going to do this because I can. I'm going to do something that your stupid, little minds aren't going to be able to comprehend and he took the Bible and started ripping out pages."

School officials said that they know about the incident.

"We take this extremely seriously," said Dr. Karen Schulte, Janesville School District safety and security coordinator.

Officials said that they will not confirm whether the boy was suspended.

"We do an assessment of this situation and students involved to ensure the safety of every student and staff at that school," said Schulte.

Officials said that ripping up a Bible is constitutionally protected, adding the punishment has nothing to do with the student's Freedom of Speech demonstration.

"Any actions that were taken in this case were because of behavior separate from the Bible," said Parker High Principal Dale Carlson.

Some parents said that they disagree with the school's reaction.

"The school worries about his right to privacy and to free speech that to teachers' rights or the students' right to safety," said Paul Jacobson, Elle’s father.

He said that he's pulling his two high school daughters out of Parker High.

"It's not about free speech. It's not about necessarily about the Bible although that was disgusting, too. This is about the vicious, vile manner in the way this kid went about this and tried to make some kind of point," he said.

Elle Jacobson's parents are looking for another school for their daughters.

Parker High School officials aren't saying whether the student who sparked the controversy is back at school.

In a separate incident, following the punishment, three Parker High Students wore T-shirts asking for the student in question to be brought back after a punishment was levied against him. School officials made those students change clothes.
Click to expand...
 
T

thatguy

Sicc OG
#2
Apr 8, 2005
6,128
13
0
35
#2
stupid, and the girl fealt threatened, like shes a bible and hes gonna tear her next, lol, and the dads goin on about safety, there was no violence here, this is why i hate most christians, the kid should be free to tear bibles if he wants to
 
I AM

I AM

Some Random Asshole
#5
Apr 25, 2002
21,002
86
48
#5
someone please sterilize that girl or take her fucking eggs, and anyone who agrees with her (or cut off balls in the male case...

i think what he did was GOOD and he's just proving a point. he did something that they're stupid little minds couldn't comprehend....he wasn't lying, he was doing exactly what he said he would. and he has every right to do so, at least i think so. but at the same time, there is a certain amount of respect you should probably hold for other people even if they don't believe what you do or you think they're stupid....

but that's the lovely part about america.....it's so diverse! lol...i would have done the same fucking thing if i could have when i was in college, but I didn't think about it when I was doing a presentation that was right along the lines of the 1st amendment and separation of church and state......
 
XxtraMannish

XxtraMannish

Sicc OG
#6
Jun 27, 2005
5,207
0
0
#6
I don't see the big deal. He tore the pages out of a BOOK. A BOOK that probably has more copies in circulation than ant other BOOK in the country. I'm pretty sure the words in that BOOK are also printed in at least 500 million other BOOKS just like it.

ps. I wonder who owns the intellectual property rights for the Bible, and if its nobody, I think I just found my new hustle. Anybody wanna buy a Bible?
 
T

ThaG

Sicc OG
#8
Jun 30, 2005
9,597
1,687
113
#8
XxtraMannish said:
ps. I wonder who owns the intellectual property rights for the Bible, and if its nobody, I think I just found my new hustle. Anybody wanna buy a Bible?
Click to expand...
it's not that easy

technically nobody holds the copyright because the book has no author and is 2000 years old, but you will have a hard time fighting the competition in this business...
 
I AM

I AM

Some Random Asshole
#9
Apr 25, 2002
21,002
86
48
#9
ThaG said:
it's not that easy

technically nobody holds the copyright because the book has no author and is 2000 years old, but you will have a hard time fighting the competition in this business...
Click to expand...
HELLO! The author is GOD! :) LOL!
 
ColdBlooded

ColdBlooded

Sicc OG
#13
Apr 25, 2002
15,044
157
0
#13
"I'm going to do something that your stupid, little minds aren't going to be able to comprehend."

And he did.

That guy's kids shouldn't be in that school if they can't deal with something like this. Good luck with life in the real world.

I remember this on the local news back when it went down. It was too funny watching these people.
 
Jae iLL

Jae iLL

Sicc OG
#14
Jun 27, 2003
2,457
10
0
38
#14
mayn, threatened by that shiet? He aint threaten nobody's safety, and I could give a fuck if he did that to the torah koran or whatever the fuck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom