No Apology? No Diploma

I have been noticing a lot of trends lately with school’s withholding diplomas or giving outrageous punishments to students over the last few months to a year that it’s alarming.  I ask myself “Who is right?”  Is there really a right or wrong answer to that question?  Is it the faults of the schools?  Is it the faults of the students?  Or is it the faults of both the school and students?   The schools job is to teach our kinds respect, to become leaders, and become a better person.  When does schools have the right to bully kids to fit a certain mold?

In this article, No Apology? No Diploma out of Los Angeles, a group of 15 students at a middle school protested the guest speaker by not standing and turning their back on the guess speaker.  The kids  and the parents were protesting teacher cuts and oversize classes.  After some of the parents heard why the kids where protesting even some agreed with the kids.  Would it had matter if the guest speaker wasn’t part of the school’s board?  In a statement released by the middle school states that “the LAUSD's John Liechty Middle School works to provide students with an appropriate learning environment that includes being safe, being responsible and being respectful. During any school event, Liechty Middle School expects students to demonstrate respectful behavior….”

In my opinion, last I heard this is America.  We are allowed freedom of speech.  I think the school should had taken the high road and not responded to the actions of the kids.  By withholding their certificates was a bad move.  It’s a school that is trying to bully a group of kids because the bully got their feelings hurt.  There really isn’t a right or wrong in this situation.  Some can make a case to say the kids were disrespectful which I can see but two wrongs don’t make a right.  The school shouldn’t have responded the way they should.  The media will make the school out to be wrong in this case.  Can respect be taught?  In the statement above from the school they mention they “expects students to demonstrate respectful behavior” but the kids were only following the behavior that they were shown by the school during the year.

Over the last few months, I have been reading a lot of articles regarding schools taking extreme actions against students for what they feel is disrespectful behavior.  Of course on the other hand, it is only 8th grade?  Should the parents and student just apology and just move on?  Makes me wonder what schools are coming to now a days?  Do you all think schools are going overboard these days?  Let me hear your opinions on this subject.

TL