Schools all over the country allowed students to participate in National Walkout Day to protest and demand gun control. But what would happen if students wanted to stage a walkout to protest something like abortion? Would the politics of such a demonstration be equally accepted?
California high school teacher Julianne Benzel posed this question to her class. Now she’s being punished…
A California high school teacher was placed on paid administrative leave this week after she pointed out an apparent double standard surrounding Wednesday’s national school walkout against gun violence…
The majority of schools nationwide agreed not to punish the students participating in the walkout and some even made certain accommodations in support of their efforts.
Julianne Benzel, a history teacher at Rocklin High School in Rocklin, told a local CBS affiliate that she discussed the walkout with students in her class last week and questioned whether schools would be just as supportive of students protesting against abortion.
“I just kind of used the example, which I know it’s really controversial, but I know it was the best example I thought of at the time — a group of students nationwide, or even locally, decided ‘I want to walk out of school for 17 minutes’ and go in the quad area and protest abortion, would that be allowed by our administration?” she said.
CBS Sacramento has more:
“We had a dialogue in class about it in Thursday and Friday. And today I received the call. So I am aghast,” said Julianne Benzel.Benzel says she never discouraged her students from participating in the national school walk out, but she did question whether it’s appropriate for a school to support a protest against gun violence if they’re not willing to support all protests.
Student Suspended for Refusing to Leave Classroom During Gun Control #Walkout
The idea that this week’s school walkout was some grassroots movement by students who are seeking to challenge the status quo is a farce. The entire walkout was organized and sanctioned by the establishment and, as an incident out of Ohio shows, in one instance, choosing a side was even mandatory.
On Wednesday, millions of students across the country were encouraged by the government, mainstream media, and even their own school systems to walk out of class and demand the government take away their rights. It was, by no means, a challenge of authority and, in fact, it was a celebration of it.
Hilliard Davidson High School senior Jacob Shoemaker proved this point when he received a suspension for refusing to leave the classroom to participate in the walkout.
According to school officials, students were told they could participate in the walkout or go to the commons area for an alternative study hall. Shoemaker said he did not want to choose a side so he remained in the classroom instead.
Shoemaker told the Associated Press that school is not the place for divisive politics and to make his statement, he chose not to take sides. So, the 18-year-old was suspended.
When he received the suspension, a friend published a photo of the notice online where it quickly went viral.
“Student refused to follow instructions after being warned repeatedly by several administrators,” the letter said. “Student not permitted on school property.”
The school promptly responded to state that Shoemaker was not suspended for choosing to abstain from the gun control debate. However, as Shoemaker explains, by forcing the students to leave the classroom for a political event—when they are supposed to be in class—he was compelled to take a side by the school and he chose not to do so.
Scott Shoemaker, Jacob’s father told 10TV that he thought the punishment his son received from school was harsh and they had no idea how much attention it would garner them.
No comments:
Post a Comment