From the Daily Comet:
A former E.D. White Catholic High School senior embroiled in a dispute with school officials over a Facebook page has filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit, claiming the school unfairly suspended her because of her race.
Now attending Tulane University, Hannah Jegart, a black student, claims she received a longer suspension for violating school code than a dozen or more white classmates involved in the same incident.
...
The suit states that school administrators and diocesan officials “deliberately tailored” a nine-day suspension so that Jegart would lose scholarships and be forced to withdraw from the school.
Hannah was an honor student with a full scholarship to Tulane. With the nine day suspension, she would not only have lost her scholarship and her honors, but she would not have been able to graduate.
Other students received suspensions, but none as long as Hannah, and none would have been prevented from graduating.
Administrators suspended Jegart Jan. 15 for creating an online discussion group on the popular online social-networking Web site Facebook, the suit states.
The page allowed students to discuss their senior-level class in Apologetics, or defenses of the Catholic faith.
....
The discussion group, unnamed in the suit, was titled “Screw you apologetics and yo wonky ass sources,” Spinella said in an interview in January. It still exists and has 40 members.
The online group violated the student conduct rules forbidding them from taking part in activities on or off campus that harm the school’s image.
I laughed when I saw the title of the Facebook site. I suppose that means that I would not be a good school administrator, for I doubt that I would have disciplined the students at all. The punishment seems an overreaction and quite harsh to me.
Bishop Sam Jacobs ordered the two Roman Catholic High Schools in the diocese to require the class for all graduation seniors. The word around town is that most of the students did not like the class. Before the bishop required the class, the seniors studied comparative religion, a class which was popular with the students.
I don't mean to imply that high school students should be able to choose their classes, but apologetics is defending the faith. If I am to believe the commenters on the forum at the Comet discussing this matter (which ran to over 50 pages the last time I checked), many parents and students were annoyed by the bishop's imposition of the unpopular course upon the seniors and then outraged by the harsh punishments dealt to the students who participated in the Facebook discussion group. What good is a course in defending the faith for students who are so turned off by the whole affair that they no longer want to defend the faith?
Here's a link to my original post on the story.
One more manifestation of the way in which the powers that John Paul II's long reign left in control of the RC Church are working overtime to erase the legacy of Vatican II.
ReplyDeleteThe powers in the RCC also seem to have kind of a death wish.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to read some 'America' magazine (the Jesuit publication) to rebalance myself after reading that news.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the Roman Catholic version of past doctrinal re-education classes in communist countries. I suppose in this era of holy-men-politicians we should not be surprised to see religious doctrine and political ideology start to look more and more alike.
ReplyDeleteI hope she sues their socks off.
Speechless (what I'm left, by this story---and what the bishop tried to do to the students).
ReplyDeleteGod bless our "litigious society"!
Cry Foul!
ReplyDelete;=)
The powers at the school and in the diocese should have seen what was coming. The other RC high school in the diocese did not impose such draconian punishments.
ReplyDeleteThe students involved in the Facebook discussion group were probably some of the brightest and most creative in the school.
It is my personal belief that students should never, EVER be permitted to discuss their school courses outside a designated school building. Such activities could lead to critical thinking, and then where would we be as a society? Students' off-hours conversation should be limited to sex, drugs, Fallout Boy and Snoop Dogg's Father 'Hood. Harrumph harrumph.
ReplyDeletePJ! More authoritarian than the pope. Have you thought that your students might have a Facebook group where they talk about you and your class?
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter will be attending the school next year. I'm not exactly thrilled about that.
"Sounds like the Roman Catholic version of past doctrinal re-education classes in communist countries."
ReplyDeleteBut in Communist countries, such a Facebook a transgression would have resulted in the Gulag, rather than just a mere nine day holiday, proving that the church is really quite enlightened, no?
What a window this gives into the minds of the simultaneously doctrinaire and insecure.
ReplyDeleteI watched House of Saddam last night; interesting, and probably too sympathetic towards S.H., who seems to be a bit like an Iraqi Tony Soprano -- beset with family problems. Well, it was HBO.
My point is that the pattern of rigidity and tyranny and a sense of a divine commission, combines all too easily with insecurity and paranoia.
It will take at least a generation to undo the misdirection of John Paul II, and his Rottweiler. Problem is, the rising generation may have no use for the institution, and it may not revive until the next -- if then.
...proving that the church is really quite enlightened, no?
ReplyDeleteWilfried, no.
Tobias, you're right. The recovery from the reigns of John Paul II and the present pope will be long in coming, if it ever comes. Between the two, they will have named many like-minded cardinals, so there's no guarantee of change once another takes the office.
I'm sure my students talk about me. And I'm sure they do it on Facebook. Tis' the price of fame.
ReplyDelete"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."--Oz Wilde
Go get 'em, Counterlight! Suspend them! Give them failing grades!
ReplyDeleteI love the Oz Wilde quote.
"Wilfried, no."
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should have used a smiley.
No, Wilfried. Irony, irony. Maybe I should have used a smiley.
ReplyDelete