[assonomaf]

Morton West High School Expulsion
Over 30 anti-war protesters at Morton West High School in Berwyn face expulsion for a demonstration at the school on Thursday.
Scores of Students Face Expulsion Due to Sit-in Berwyn, IL
November 06, 2007

Over 70 students participated in a sit-in against the Iraq War on All Saint's Day, Thursday, November 1st. It began third hour when dozens of students gathered quietly in the lunchroom at Morton West High School and refused to leave. The administrators and police became involved immediately and locked down the school for a half hour after class ended. Students report that they were promised that there would be no charges besides cutting classes if they took their protest outside so as not to disturb the school day. The students complied, and were led to a corner outside the cafeteria where they sang songs and held signs while classes resumed.

Despite a police line set up between the protestors and the student body, many other students joined the demonstration. Organizers say they chose November first because it is the Christian holy day called the feast of All Saints and a national day of peace. They wrote a letter and delivered it to Superintendent, Dr. Ben Nowakowski who was present at the time, stating the reason for their protest.

Deans, counselors and even the Superintendent tried to change the minds of a few, mainly those students with higher GPA scores to abandon the protest. The school called the homes of many of the protestors. Those whose parents arrived before the end of school and took their students home, or left before the protest ended at the final bell, received 3-5 days suspension. All others, an estimated 37 received 10 days suspension and expulsion papers. Parents report that Nowakowski stated those who are seventeen will also face police charges.

Parents who are frantically trying to spare their child's expulsion flooded the school yesterday to file appeals on the matter. So far, Superintendent Nowakowski has held firm on the punishments. They are expected to find out the results of the appeals on Tuesday. Parents and students report and the school's videotape shown to some of the parents confirms that the students were non-violent in their action.

The protest came on the heels of a recent incident on October 15th, when a student reported hearing that another student had a gun on campus. The story of the eyewitness was deemed unreliable and the school was not locked down. Later that week (October 19), the Berwyn police, acting on a tip arrested one of the youths originally questioned for gun possession and he allegedly confessed to carrying an unloaded semi-automatic handgun that day. All these issues, plus the expected announcement of whether uniforms will be established in the school should make the next Board of Education meeting on Wednesday at 7:00pm at the Morton East campus very well-attended.

See the link below for the Superintendent's statement on the matter:
www.jsmortonhs.com/news/contentview.asp

For letters or phone calls of support, please see information below:

Dr. Ben Nowakowski, Superintendent
District 201
2423 South Austin, Cicero, IL 60804
bnowakowski (at) jsmorton.org

(708) 222-5702

Mr. Lucas, Principal
Morton West High School
2400 S. Home Ave.
Berwyn, IL 60402
jlucas (at) west.jsmorton.org

708-222-5901

Mr. Jeffry Pesek, President
Board of Education, District 201
3145 South 55th Avenue
Cicero, IL 60804

708-802-1863

For the rest of the Board Members see:
www.jsmortonhs.com/board/default.asp

For parent contact:
Pam Winstead 708-749-3163 , pwinstead (at) clearchannel.com

Alma Moran 708-717-4202 , qtalmita (at) yahoo.com

Adam Szwarek 847-587-8849 , tsq9743 (at) aol.com



Read more: http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=3...

[PefeFoesk]

Expulsion is way too serious, but they should get a symbolic punishment like a detention or a requirement to do some volunteer work. I think the idea in the petition that they shouldn't be punished at all for skipping class seems like a bad precedent to set.

[NikitahDE]

They skipped class, they should get punished. Protest is not a freebie.

BUT, expulsion?

The only thing that would warrant expulsion is if the person had a record of disruption of school with these things. (Say 4 protests in a short span of time, or not agreeing to leave the cafeteria and go somewhere else that would not impeed other students work/classes).

To press CRIMINAL charges is truly preposterous. So long as they did not damage or interfere with anything (there was no reason for the school officials to have to come out unless they were bothering other students) there is no reason to hold them criminally responsible.



Like I said, they should have to pay their pennance, and that should be in line with what they did (skip class, disrupt classes). But any more than that is reactionary.

[Ebjjrxrd]

I'd like to see the kids get a choice of detention or the option to do minor volunteer work. Anything more is absurd.

[carlsberg21]

Talking points took this up. Of course, they provided "fair and balanced" reporting by omitting the fact that parents objected to the harshness of expulsion rather than the idea that the kids should get some punishment, but that's the wonder of Fox News.

[Ngdyoysv]

They ought to be applauded, not punished.

[Amerworma]

Both MTG.

They should be commended for what they were doing and why, but absolving them from any punishment for doing something against the rules is not right either.

Why couldn't these kids protest after school?

How about on a weekend?

Why did it have to be during classes?

I know why. They would not be able to get as many on a weekend because they would all have other "more important" things to do.

So saying that they should not be punished because of what they were protesting is a little unfair. On the same level, EXPELLING them is above and beyond anything reasonable. They should get detension (I have never seen where suspension is really a punishment UNLESS, ironically, they are actually GOOD students that want to learn!!).

As for the arrests? Misdemeanors that should get community service and be done with it. Nothing serious, but enough to remind them that there is a consequense to some of their actions.

Life is not a Disney movie.

[Orefsmisits]

There's no one here that should end up with a criminal record. School based detention is fine. If I was the principle, I'd give the students an opportunity to opt out of detention by volunteering at the VA hospital to show they support the troops despite their disagreement on the war. Those that don't want to do the volunteer work could serve detention.

[banditorfv]

Reasonable I guess, but with so much political apathy among the youth I'm reluctant to punish them for showing a conscience and wanting to express their opposition to this war.

Ninjahedge: if they did it on a Saturday, do you think we would even know about it and be discussing it here? There is your answer about why it was done HOW and WHEN it was.

When 300,000 protestors descend on Washington it doesn't even make the New York Times. Here you've got 70 students and the attention of the nation is turned on them...seems pretty obvious why they didn't do it your way, ninj.

Unfortunately, when you try to play by the rules you just get ignored. Shouldn't be that way, and it's toxic for democracy, but here we are in Amerika 2007.

They weren't protesting bad cafeteria food, they were protesting a MURDEROUS WAR that is killing thousands. Why should they do it in anonymity on a Saturday afternoon? They were SMART, that's why they did it during school.

Maybe they already understand how the news media works in this country and they were actually being pretty savvy.

Now, if they were really smart, they would have had the homecoming queen flash her boobs with "no war" written across her chest, it would have gotten even more coverage.

[Ferkilort]

^ Principal Lucas would stone her to death.

Anyway, instead of expelling the kids, they should discipline the principal for his ridiculous overreaction.
What he did was no way to educate kids in a democracy.

[gMUVgw71]

http://nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/14brid.html?8dpc

I can certainly see the bridge tournament wanting to clarify these women's views are not representative of the bridge assocation, but banning them from competition for a year??? That seems like an awful lot for a lighthearted sign that was probably as much a joke about sentiments of the time than it was a serious moment of political dissent. Why not ask them to apologize for politicizing the event and then leave it at that?

[Sandvikla]

So, MTG, you are saying that the Principal and the Cops are also anti-war and are contributing to the protest by excessively punishing the kids?

Because you know, if they were not punished like this, it probably never would have made the news!

[8cyVn4RJ]

Well I'm not claiming to know what the personal position of the cops and the Principal is, but yes, it's clear they've inadvertently given the protest more exposure than if they had just let the whole thing blow over.

[AALee]

http://nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/14brid.html?8dpc

... bridge assocation ... banning them from competition for a year????

Hope they cover this on the news ... this hearing could make for some good TV:
A hearing is scheduled this month in San Francisco, where thousands of players will be gathered for the Fall North American Bridge Championships. It will determine whether displaying the sign constitutes conduct unbecoming a federation member.

[Tw1anJOO]

from the link, one part reads:
it "could cost the federation corporate sponsors."

All that matters anymore.
It's de facto censorship by corporate interests.