Catholic School Students Discplined

From the Daily Comet:

When her daughter was suspended from E.D. White Catholic High School, it was for actions taken in a realm seemingly beyond the reach of administrators.

Along with more than 20 seniors, Deneen Spinella’s daughter was suspended from the school for joining an online discussion group where administrators say students posted profane comments and attempted to share coursework answers.

According to a letter sent to one parent, school officials said students violated a policy outlined in the campus code of conduct that prohibits them from engaging in online activity -- on or off campus -- that could harm the school’s image.

Hmmm, "...harm the school's image."

Though administrators suspended her daughter for attempting to cheat, Spinella said, they misinterpreted her intentions. She said her daughter created the group -- titled "Screw Apologetics and yo wonky ass sources" -- in hopes of gathering information for teachers who couldn’t answer questions posed to students.

"She was trying to collect information, put it on a CD and hand it over. The teacher would use it because they didn’t have a guide," she said. "Because she took it upon herself to put the school first, they persecuted her for it."

I found myself smiling as I read the story, but I feel bad for Deneen Spinella's daughter, because she was stripped of "her academic titles, including a high-ranking position in the Key Club and her membership in the National Honor Society". I only know what I read in the newspaper, but what the students did does not seem that bad to me.

Though administrators suspended her daughter for attempting to cheat, Spinella said, they misinterpreted her intentions. She said her daughter created the group -- titled "Screw Apologetics and yo wonky ass sources" -- in hopes of gathering information for teachers who couldn’t answer questions posed to students.

The group was removed from the Facebook website for a brief period, but it is now back up. I wasn't able to gain access to it.

Near the top of the page, a description for the group reads "MAYBE I DON’T WANT TO DEFEND THE CATHOLIC FAITH!?" A photo of local Catholic Bishop Sam Jacobs appears in the top right corner.

The group also includes this statement, with no mention of an author: "(This site) was not a way to cheat and if the school administrators would have taken a chance to look at this page then they would no (sic) that no cheating actually occurred on this page."

I don't know the motivation of the student organizer nor the motivation of the students who participated, but it doesn't seem like that big a deal to me. Maybe I'm missing something.

I know that rules are rules, and the parents signed statements, etc., etc., etc., but the teen years are a time of questioning, a time for the young people to find their way. What message do the suspensions send to the students about exploring their faith and addressing their doubts, instead of squelching them? A very wrong message, I'd say. Maybe some of the students don't want to defend the Catholic faith as it's being presented to them. Maybe that's OK.

I attended Roman Catholic schools for 17 years of my life. It was a long time ago, but it seems not much has changed. My only "C" grade in college was in a course called "Christian Marriage". I am convinced that the reason I made that "C" was because I argued with the priest who taught the class about Matthew 19:9, "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery." I said that it seemed to me that Jesus was saying that one was permitted to divorce one's spouse and marry another if the spouse was unfaithful. He said that was not the meaning of the statement. I persisted in my questioning. I argued with him. I wouldn't let it go, with the end result that I made my "C" in the course.

Once, during a job interview, the interviewer said of my college transcript, "All "A's" and "B's". No wait; here's a "C". Let's see what subject the "C' is in. Oh! 'Christian Marriage'." He and I both laughed. And I've only been married for 46 years.

There is questioning, and there is QUESTIONING! QUESTIONING gets you in trouble. Is it possible that the teachers were truly not equipped to deal with the questions of the students? I believe it is. In the courses which prepared them to teach religion classes, perhaps the future teachers were not encouraged to explore their own doubts and questions.

In my humble opinion, the school authorities were harsh in their response. Do the school authorities have a clue about offline conversations among high school students?

"Screw Apologetics and yo wonky ass sources". That's pretty funny.

UPDATE: I have been told that the student who was suspended for nine days would have lost a full scholarship to a private university of good reputation, if she had stayed to serve her suspension at E. D. White.

UPDATE 2: Further discussion on this matter may be found at the website of the Daily Comet Forum.