Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Saturday, May 28, 2005
This story was pasted on The Turner Report Friday.
Dr. Ron Lankford put it in black and white.
LaStaysha Myers will be able to wear gay rights t-shirts to Webb City High School when the 2005-2006 school year begins. In a letter dated Tuesday, May 24, and addressed to Ms. Myers' mother, Leda Myers, Lankford wrote, "This letter is concerning the restriction as to your daughter, Lastaysha's, wearing of t-shirts related to the recent controversy involving homosexual rights. You should be aware that the goal of the restrictions was to close the 2004-2005 school year without further disruptions to the educational environment. The district's actions in restricting LaStaysha's t-shirts, and those of approximately a dozen other students, was simply to refocus students' attention away from disruptive circumstances and toward our mission in the classrooms."
Lankford continued, "The Webb City R-7 School District has no position as to non-educational political issues, and specifically no position as to homosexual rights. This is evidenced by the fact that such t-shirts were worn without restriction prior to the outbreak of disruptive circumstances.
"Accordingly, the restriction as to LaStaysha's t-shirts will be lifted at the start of the 2005-2006 school year, and she may wear any clothing she chooses as long as it is in compliance with the Board of Education's policies."The letter concludes, "If you have any questions, or would like to further discuss this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Dr. Ronald Lankford, Webb City R-7 superintendent"
The following item was placed in The Turner Report on Monday:
Webb City R-7 officials have several more reasons why LaStaysha Myers' First Amendment lawsuit against them should be dismissed.
Those reasons were outlined in a filing today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Attorney Sarah Lawrence of Doster, Mickes, James, Ullom, Benson & Guest, says Ms. Myers' attorneys' attempts to liken this case to the landmark Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District case are flawed.
In the Tinker case, a principal heard that students were planning to wear black armbands as a symbol of opposition to the Vietnam War. He immediately established a rule against the wearing of any kind of armband. Three students defied the rule and were suspended. They sued the school, claiming that their First Amendment freedom of speech rights had been violated. In 1969, the U. S. Supreme Court decided in the students' favor."The Tinker decision provided that school officials need not await an actual disruption 'but rather the existence of facts that might reasonably lead school officials to forecast substantial disruptions.' "
The filing continues, "Here, past experiences at Webb City High School had already proven disruptive current events, including a confrontation between pro-homosexual and anti-homosexual groups, located literally outside the school doors, were undeniably influencing student activities and behavior necessarily including that of (Ms. Myers) herself; and based on previous instances of actual disruption, threatened disruption would have existed if the district administrators failed to address the very issues which, at that time, were detracting from the educational mission at hand."
Ms. Lawrence says that Webb City school officials did not do what the Des Moines officials did in the Tinker case. They did not come up with a policy just to address one particular situation and school officials in that case admitted their new rule had been put in place because they disagreed with the students' anti-war viewpoint.
Also, Ms. Lawrence added, "t-shirts in support of homosexual rights were worn without incident at the district prior to the outbreak of disruptions."Without mentioning him by name, Ms. Lawrence then indicated that Brad Mathewson's behavior, not the shirts he was wearing, was responsible for the banning of the shirts in the first place.
School officials will allow the shirts during the 2005-2006 year, the filing says, barring "further disruptive circumstances." The kind of disruptive circumstances, which they attributed to Mathewson in filings in Mathewson's case, include "confrontation, picketing, tension, verbal solicitations, and physical displays of photographs of student sexual contact that preceded the previous disruptions at school."
Ms. Lawrence said school officials will not guarantee how they will respond. "The district's administrators, unfortunately, have no crystal ball upon which to determine what decisions and responses it will make to preserve an educational environment of the highest possible quality."
Ms. Lawrence asked that the lawsuit, which names High School Principal Steven Gollhofer, Assistant Principal Bruce Thornberry and Superintendent Ron Lankford as defendants, be dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it could not be refiled.
Dr. Ron Lankford put it in black and white.
LaStaysha Myers will be able to wear gay rights t-shirts to Webb City High School when the 2005-2006 school year begins. In a letter dated Tuesday, May 24, and addressed to Ms. Myers' mother, Leda Myers, Lankford wrote, "This letter is concerning the restriction as to your daughter, Lastaysha's, wearing of t-shirts related to the recent controversy involving homosexual rights. You should be aware that the goal of the restrictions was to close the 2004-2005 school year without further disruptions to the educational environment. The district's actions in restricting LaStaysha's t-shirts, and those of approximately a dozen other students, was simply to refocus students' attention away from disruptive circumstances and toward our mission in the classrooms."
Lankford continued, "The Webb City R-7 School District has no position as to non-educational political issues, and specifically no position as to homosexual rights. This is evidenced by the fact that such t-shirts were worn without restriction prior to the outbreak of disruptive circumstances.
"Accordingly, the restriction as to LaStaysha's t-shirts will be lifted at the start of the 2005-2006 school year, and she may wear any clothing she chooses as long as it is in compliance with the Board of Education's policies."The letter concludes, "If you have any questions, or would like to further discuss this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Dr. Ronald Lankford, Webb City R-7 superintendent"
The following item was placed in The Turner Report on Monday:
Webb City R-7 officials have several more reasons why LaStaysha Myers' First Amendment lawsuit against them should be dismissed.
Those reasons were outlined in a filing today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Attorney Sarah Lawrence of Doster, Mickes, James, Ullom, Benson & Guest, says Ms. Myers' attorneys' attempts to liken this case to the landmark Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District case are flawed.
In the Tinker case, a principal heard that students were planning to wear black armbands as a symbol of opposition to the Vietnam War. He immediately established a rule against the wearing of any kind of armband. Three students defied the rule and were suspended. They sued the school, claiming that their First Amendment freedom of speech rights had been violated. In 1969, the U. S. Supreme Court decided in the students' favor."The Tinker decision provided that school officials need not await an actual disruption 'but rather the existence of facts that might reasonably lead school officials to forecast substantial disruptions.' "
The filing continues, "Here, past experiences at Webb City High School had already proven disruptive current events, including a confrontation between pro-homosexual and anti-homosexual groups, located literally outside the school doors, were undeniably influencing student activities and behavior necessarily including that of (Ms. Myers) herself; and based on previous instances of actual disruption, threatened disruption would have existed if the district administrators failed to address the very issues which, at that time, were detracting from the educational mission at hand."
Ms. Lawrence says that Webb City school officials did not do what the Des Moines officials did in the Tinker case. They did not come up with a policy just to address one particular situation and school officials in that case admitted their new rule had been put in place because they disagreed with the students' anti-war viewpoint.
Also, Ms. Lawrence added, "t-shirts in support of homosexual rights were worn without incident at the district prior to the outbreak of disruptions."Without mentioning him by name, Ms. Lawrence then indicated that Brad Mathewson's behavior, not the shirts he was wearing, was responsible for the banning of the shirts in the first place.
School officials will allow the shirts during the 2005-2006 year, the filing says, barring "further disruptive circumstances." The kind of disruptive circumstances, which they attributed to Mathewson in filings in Mathewson's case, include "confrontation, picketing, tension, verbal solicitations, and physical displays of photographs of student sexual contact that preceded the previous disruptions at school."
Ms. Lawrence said school officials will not guarantee how they will respond. "The district's administrators, unfortunately, have no crystal ball upon which to determine what decisions and responses it will make to preserve an educational environment of the highest possible quality."
Ms. Lawrence asked that the lawsuit, which names High School Principal Steven Gollhofer, Assistant Principal Bruce Thornberry and Superintendent Ron Lankford as defendants, be dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it could not be refiled.
I have added a few links to this blog. I started with the original Room 210 site, which features news and photos from South Middle School, information about my communication arts classes, and links for students and teachers. I followed that with a link to my news blog, The Turner Report, my old Diamond school site, Wildcat Central, former South student Brittany Harmon's site, My Thrilling Life, and my former Diamond student Alicia Bradley's site, ecce.
If you would like a link set up to your website or blog, leave a message with this post or e-mail me at rturner229@hotmail.com
If you would like a link set up to your website or blog, leave a message with this post or e-mail me at rturner229@hotmail.com
Should a 12-year-old be sentenced to life in prison if he kills someone?
That discussion was held in my classes at Joplin and at Diamond about Lionel Tate, the Florida youth who killed a young girl by stomping her with moves he learned while watching professional wrestling.
Last year, Lionel Tate was released after a court ruled against his harsh punishment, but it didn't take long for him to get into trouble again.
Check out this article from Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/sfl-ctate24may24,0,4648889,print.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines
That discussion was held in my classes at Joplin and at Diamond about Lionel Tate, the Florida youth who killed a young girl by stomping her with moves he learned while watching professional wrestling.
Last year, Lionel Tate was released after a court ruled against his harsh punishment, but it didn't take long for him to get into trouble again.
Check out this article from Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/sfl-ctate24may24,0,4648889,print.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines
Friday, May 27, 2005
Welcome to the brand-new Room 210 blog. For those of you who want updates on the discussion topics from the eighth grade communication arts classes at South Middle School, news and information on subjects that concern you, this is the place. Plus, you will be able to add comments and start discussions over the internet. You also will be able to suggest or post topic ideas.
E-mail me at rturner229@hotmail.com with any suggestions or ideas. Let me know what you think about this blog.
E-mail me at rturner229@hotmail.com with any suggestions or ideas. Let me know what you think about this blog.
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