BULLYING

Watching the bullying film about Ashland high school student Jamie Nabozny really opened my eyes to the terrible bullying that takes place in public education facilities across the United States. Not only was the level of bullying inconceivable, but the lack of action taken by school administrators and people who are supposed to help students in these situations was even more shocking.  Jamie was beaten several times, urinated on, called names, and was violated in school. All public education institutions have the responsibility to protect each and every student from discriminatory behavior in school. When Jamie went to seek help from school officials such as the principal, he was told that "Boys will be boys" and that he should "stop acting so openly gay".  That was the most disappointing part of the whole bullying situation with Jamie. People were given the opportunity to make a stand and help but instead chose to keep silent and watch as horrible things were done to him.
       Jeffrey Johnston broke up with his lover in 7th grade and from that point on was labeled a stalker and was bullied online for the next three years. Somebody hacked into his online video game and filled it with nasty comments. He grew his hair long only to help out charity, Locks of Love. He was bullied for his appearance and his actions and felt that "the world would never change".  Jeffrey hanged himself in his closet. Jeff's death brought about Florida's "Jeffrey Johnston Stand up for Students Act," which requires public schools to implement anti-bullying policies.  Now Deborah Johnston, Jeffrey's mother, speaks to schools about the worst day of her life and discusses anti-bullying strategies with students for the new school year.
       I do not see bullying at DHS as being a major problem. When I was a freshman I remember having to walk by the heaters and all the seniors would be sitting there. I was never bullied, but for other students my age it was intimidating to walk by because comments were made that made people feel uncomfortable.  But bullying may be different in the eyes of others. How do we define bullying? Some may say that the pep rally is a form of bullying because the seniors and everybody else in the school chant "FRESHMAN BEDTIME". I don't see this as bullying but it all depends on the way the people who are being "bullied" feel.
      I think DHS should have a "Challenge Day" as shown in the TV show "If You Really Knew Me". Some people may think that she show was stupid and that our school wouldn't benefit from something like this, but in every school there are a lot of kids who have feelings that they never show. I think it would be really interesting to have some sort of day where we see kids who typically only show one side of themselves really branch out and trust others with their problems. It would do a lot of good for this school.

Drug testing of student athletes in high schools and universities is important to have. Schools are looking out for the best interests of the students who are participating in sports. In order to provide safety to the athlete and to promote a drug free environment drug testing should be permitted because the testing will have a positive effect on student athlestes and the way they behave. If drug tests are given student athletes will most likely stop taking drugs in order to purse their passions in sports.  It is not a question of whether it is fair for one school in the district to be giving drug tests, and another to not be admitting testing, but it is more that we need to look out for the well being of our students and give them the opportunity to play sports at the highest level possible. The invasion of privacy shouldn't be considered an issue because you are peeing in a cup in behind closed doors. Administrators to the testing will only be standing outside the bathroom stall listening for any tampering or straneg noises. Drug testing promotes a drug free environment and keeps our students safe from future harm. 
In the case of Stafford v. Redding the strip search performed by school officials to discover ibuprofen was unconstitutional. The strip search was not one that was reasonable. Redding was an honor roll student who had no history of and problems in school. Reasonableness was not enough to strip search Redding. In a key excerpt from the dissenting opinion Justice Stevens says " A standard better attuned to this concern would permit teachers and school administrators to search a student when they have reason to believe that the search will uncover evidence thaat the student is violating the law or engagin in conduct that is seriously disruptive of school order, or the educational process." This opinion is better suited in schools because now school officials can not just search someone based on suspicion. There needs to be good reason to believe that this search will uncover evidence. The strip search was a violation of the girls privacy as it went too far to the point where she was totally exposed. To a certain point search and seizure can be tolerated. In this case the school officials went too far and invaded this girls privacy.

Religion in Schools

Teaching about religion is important and necessary if public schools are to provide students with a complete education. Much of history, art, music, literature and contemporary life is unintelligible without an understanding of the major religious ideas and influences that have shaped history and culture throughout the world. America is no longer a Christian nation as the constitution says it is. It is a melting pot of people of all faiths and a growing number of people who indicate no religious preference. New populations of Muslims, Buddhists and many other religious and ethnic groups are entering schools throughout the nation. Because of the differences and prejudices that occur when discussing faith, it is important to teach students to learn to respect

9/11 response

The documentary we watched in class was the best film displaying the terror of September 11th, 2001 that I have seen up to this point in time. It brought back a lot of memories and emotions.  I am able to recall exactly what happened on that morning when the World Trade Center was destroyed. I remember being in my parents bedroom before school started and flipping through the channels on the tv in order to find cartoons. It seemed as if every channel I flipped through that morning was showing the terrorist attack. At the time I didn't realize the significance of the World Trade Center being destroyed, and nobody was home to explain to me what was going on. In class that morning we were told what had happened and what it meant. I remember the moment of silence the class took as we silently prayed and honored the peoples lives that were lost. After school ended I remember walking home and seeing my mom coming to meet me on the road that led to our house. She comforted me and did her best to explain as well. She was very rattled by the events.  At the time I only understood to a certain extent what had happened. When you are in third grade I think it's hard to fully understand the "big picture" of what this meant. At the time it was such a confusing and scary subject. The film I saw in class showed images and recordings of things I had never seen. One of the most powerful and dark recordings in the movie was when the wave of smoke came through the streets. It was like something out of Inception. It's just amazing and terrifying at the same time. The documentary showed the strength and unity of New Yorkers. People of all different backgrounds and cultures came together to help. This was there city, and the people that died were their people. I'm always interested in seeing what the children in New York had to say about the attack. What stood out to me was the intelligence of the kids and the pure anger and hatred they had for the people responsible. One child, although very young, was really well spoken and said that whoever is responsible needs to be caught and killed. It was just such an emotional and frightening time. The movie gave me a chance to see footage of September 11, 2001 that I had never seen before. The emotions and people shown in the film, remind me of how angry 9/11 makes me.

Speech Codes....whats the deal?

  Speech codes in universities are a neccesity. They provide clear rules on what is expected from the students to provide a safe and distraction free environment for learning. Although it does hinder your first amendment rights, it is important for the schools to provide a environment where the students paying money to attend do not have to feel threatened and out of place.  I agree with the basic idea of speech codes, because if I were to be in a situation where a group of students at school were harassing me, I would want the speech codes to prohibit this type of behavior. But the problem that comes along with speech codes is that every institution has their specific rules that they enforce. For instance at Deerfield high school we are not aloud to give people the stink eye. Some schools take these rules to a new level and then they just become stupid and are begging for people to break them. The idea of speech codes is good, but some of the codes and restrictions that come along with them are idiotic. At some point people need to stop being protected by a few stupid rules and get introduced to the real world. Because beyond learning institutions people are not going to have the luxury of certain speech codes any longer. The Fent has spoken.