No diploma for bolo wearer
Cultural Tie Gets in the Way Of Graduation
Thomas Benya, a graduating senior at Maurice J. McDonough High School, was denied his diploma for violating graduation ceremony dress codes. The traditional Cherokee bola tie he wore under his gown was deemed “too skinny”. He will not receive his diploma until he attends a conference with school administrators.
The high school is sticking to its policy. The dress code is mandatory for seniors who choose to participate in the graduation ceremony. And Benya was told during a dress rehearsal Tuesday that his black bolo with a silver and onyx clasp the size of a silver dollar was “not acceptable.”
…
In March, Benya’s high school sent a letter to parents and seniors explaining that “adherence to the dress code is mandatory,” with the word mandatory in bold and underlined. For girls: white dresses or skirts with white blouses. For boys: dark dress pants with white dress shirts and ties.That left Benya’s classmates free to wear bright orange, red and striped ties under their gowns at the ceremony Wednesday at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro. One senior girl wore a headscarf and long pants for religious reasons.
“The First Amendment protects religion, and we do everything possible to honor that,” O’Malley-Simpson said. “There is nothing that requires us to follow everyone’s different cultures.”
Actually there is something that requires them to show leniency for more than religion. The First Amendment is about much more than the freedom of religious expression. The standard of Tinker v. Des Moines is that non-disruptive expression should be allowed. Is a thin tie disruptive? More than bright orange, red and striped ones?
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting graduation to be a formal occasion,” [David Rocah, a staff lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland] said, “but the idea that everyone should look the same — they’re not all the same.”
Rocah called the school’s interpretation a “narrow and cramped view of personal autonomy.”
Benya’s parents want an apology from the school but as we know those don’t readily happen without a judge’s order.
(Tip credit to Huebner)
Benya was told at rehearsal that his bolo was not acceptable? Was there not enough time between the rehearsal and the graduation ceremony for someone to get the boy a tie? Or was it a double dog dare ya?
It was probably more a case of the boy looking around him at the ridiculous ties the class jokers were wearing and deciding to stick up for himself.
Well he’ll just have to get a lawyer and sue. That seems to be the only language school officials understand nowadays.
This young man desided to stick to his guns. He was not disruptive, and the school entitiy has desided thay people like him must be taught that they are in controll. Keep fighting kid. Take them to court.
From <http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bola>
“A cord fastened around the neck with an ornamental clasp and worn as a necktie.”
So, if the code specifies “tie”, why doesn’t this fit the code?
I sounds like someone had it in for the poor kid - pants and a head scarf for religious reasons and outrageous ties worn by others - ridiculous. Why waste the time harassing this kid?
And I agree with shadowhawk - once a school district feels the hit of a lawsuit (and I know how much some of you “love” lawyers) it will stop making silly rules. These rules are expecially troublesome when a school selectively enforces “adherence to the dress code is mandatory,” - where was the enforcemnt for the pants and scarf that were worn for religious reasons? Wasn’t mandatory underlined? I have no issue with the scarf and pants (and don’t think anoyone else should either) but don’t use the “mandatory” rule as a reason for not allowing this child to attend graduation when the rule isn’t mandatory (and a bolo tie IS a tie)
the granddaddy of all oxymorons is….common sense.
What they said.
No contact information for the school admins? I’d like to (politely) give them a piece of my mind.
Sorry, Belac. Ran out of time and didn’t look like I was getting any more of it soon. If I have a chance I’ll dig those up tomorrow.
OK… first, I agree that the district was stupid to pick this fight. In reality, what is the difference whether one has a bolo or a silly fish tie?
It appears not to be religious rules that caused him to wear the bolo — is he even Cherokee? Again — information we don’t have (as usual). So it is just his choice and he knew it was wrong.
Where would you suggest we draw the line? What is allowable? Is it important that boys wear a tie? Must girls wear a skirt? Lets explore the possibilities here…. Would it really hurt if someone wore cutoff bluejeans and a T-shirt under the robe? How about a girl going topless? Or anyone nude? Where is the line?
Well, the board set a rule and told them in a letter. He knew what was required and didn’t meet the requirement. Now he must meet with an adminstrator to get his diploma. I bet that meeting will be a real fun time for all. Ignorance and stupidity in the same room!
And… someone must have been home-schooled — it is “decided” not “desided”. Those of you that can spell should thank your teachers and your school for helping you become more articulate.
He was warned and had time to change. So I would say “a pox on both of their houses!”, to quote Shakespeare.
Yes, he is Cherokee.
Benya grew up hearing stories about his paternal grandmother’s father and grandfather, who lived in dismal conditions on a Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma. He attends powwows and has worn an heirloom turquoise and silver bracelet for as long as he can remember.
Well, everyone knowns that you have to allow the seniors some leninacy when they walk as a reward for their four years of suffering; and yet, the line must be drawn somewhere, so why not arbitrarily?
Jim: No blame. You do an amazing job with the updates and contact info, we readers get spoiled.
Barry: Yes, we have to draw the line somewhere, but common sense suggests that allowing someone to wear a piece of fabric wound around their neck, even if it is a different shape than a tie, is far different than allowing nudity. While, as this blog proves, school administrators tend not to have any common sense, we readers ought to.
Does anyone know if ‘denied his diploma’ means that he did not receive it at graduation but will be given it later or that he no longer has credit for graduating at all and will have to get a GED?
He will need to meet with school administrators if he wants his diploma.
Ah, Barry, you never fail to disappoint. “Submit to authority, no matter how capricious.” A non-traditional tie is hardly in the same category as not wearing any clothes at all.
Much as spelling mistakes drive me up the wall, I’d rather see a couple of those than the blind obedience to authority figures you espouse. And your comment on homeschooling was unwarranted in the extreme, and I’m calling you on it.
My daughter, who turns 8 in 2 months, has a reading level that’s probably 6th grade. She churns thru “young reader” books at the rate of one a day. Her only spelling mistakes are when she doesn’t already know how to spell a word and guesses. By contrast, the publik skools in the last couple of cities I’ve lived in (Green Bay, WI, Coral Springs, FL, and Greenville, SC) churn out kids who can barely read, let alone write. You should be ashamed of yourself and your profession for such slanderous remarks.
Usually I’m of the opinion in these kinds of cases that if you know the rules you should follow them. If you don’t like the rules and the power-hungry administrators who arbitrarily enforce them, go elsewhere (and you’ll probably get a much better education while you’re at it). But in this case, a bolo tie IS a tie and I think it’s formal enough to conform to the warnimg letter that was sent to the students and parents. It may be a matter of individual tastes, but it appears to me the boy acted in accordance with the requirements.
One more thing…. I REALLY hope he wears the bolo tie when he goes to the “meeting” to get his diploma!
Rick C, Barry does seem to be really into the “kneel before authority” trip doesn’t he? I’m glad my kid is out of the clutches of that ilk, like the public school educrat who sent him to the office because he said “Yes, ma’am” to her and it “made her feel old.” Or the other brilliant public educrat who told him she loved her Volvo because “Germans just make better cars than Americans.”
We should ban all ties…after all, they are just useless articles of clothing that serve no real purpose. They don’t keep us warm or cover our bodies in the true sense of the word. Ties are useless ornaments that society has forced upon men (and some women who wear certain types of suits)and should be banned outright! But if we are going to force someone to wear a tie, we shouldn’t be forcing them to wear a particular style, but something that appeals to them or means something to them as did the bolo tie to this young man. In other words..a tie, is a tie, is a tie! End of rant.
I have nothing but respect for Barry, Rick C, as he is true to his job. You see, compulsory schooling was never intended to be about education.
Public schooling WAS and, I suppose, IS intended to create people who will be able to do the bear minimum, not question authority, and to be humorous, baa like sheep.
Further, when the system was imported here, what was that guy’s name who garunteed to one of the big railroad barons of the day that the system would keep people from becoming “overeducated”?
Now Barry, I would like to know where your anger against homeschoolers comes from. I will buy an argument that it lets some kids slip through the cracks when it comes to education. So does public school.
I will also buy an argument that it provides no protection for children with abusive parents. Public schoolers get abused too, as I’m sure you know, since you spend a LOT of time reminding everyone about your 33 years of experience.
The social argument, sadly, is a myth.
Further, homeschoolers consistently outperform their public school cousins. Now, if you want to say something to the effect of, “Well, while it is true that many homeschoolers do outperform kids in public school, we have no information about the kids that don’t, as it isn’t sufficiently tracked.”
True, but you know what? I don’t care.
Callous? Definitely. But I really don’t care. America is not going to be able to compete with the rest of the world if we throw all of our educational resources into raising the bottom of the barrel if we ignore the top.
Are some kids lost if they homeschool? of course. Are some kids lost if the are in public school? Of course.
However, even if you told me that MOST homeschoolers are getting an insufficient education, I wouldn’t be alarmed.
EVEN if you told me 90% of homeschoolers were being abused, I wouldn’t really care provided that the best and brightest get quality educations.
And you know what barry? The best and brightest will tend to get a MUCH better education homeschooling, than they would ever get in public school. I have numbers to back it up, if you really want them, and would be happy to correspond to you. Feel free to e-mail me.
elfcharm@aol.com
Disclaimer: I do not agree with 99% of Barry’s commentary.
The dress code was written. School authorities did provide further clarification to the young man… that the bolo was not considered (albeit arbitrarily) what was meant by a tie.
The “consequences” appear to be that an administrator wants to have a talkin-to with the young man in order for him to get his diploma.
Now, personally, I think the school taking a “stand” on the issue of their conclusion that “a bolo is not a tie” is really stupid. I hope the administrator can congratulate the young man and treat him with respect as the diploma is awarded. Perhaps even acknowledge that sometimes we need to take a stand in an appropriate manner. But sue the school over this? No. Get over it.
OK, Barry’s naked comment was over the top, but the question really comes down to whether the USA will preserve its dominant culture. Substitute a kilt, grass skirt, or a dashiki (sp?) or any number of other cultures’ costume elements that are markedly different from our own, for the bolo. Where do you draw the line?
It’s a formal occassion IN AMERICA, and the expression of formalism in this country is fairly well defined. If someone showed up at a full formal wedding with a bolo tie, I might remark to them that it wasn’t a hoedown or rodeo.
Is it a little cultural arrogance? Maybe, but how about movements to make English our official language? The point is, the degree to which a society expects people to adopt the dominant culture is not a simple issue, and there is a legitimate interest in having all the students look uniform for group photos, etc. I’d probably dictate the color of the ties for that purpose, and there he has a point, but this isn’t nearly as egregious as some of the other posts here. I’m of mixed feelings on this.
From dictionary.com
bolo
n 1: a cord fastened around the neck with an ornamental clasp and worn as a necktie [syn: bolo tie, bola tie, bola]
Wow! I just love how a stupid and completely insignificant policy has even been reported in the news. Thomas Benya would have permission to marry my daughter, by the way, if she were seventeen years older (she’s one). This is a kid who perceived a stupid policy and committed a willful act of civil disobedience, and now, thousands upon thousands of people can laugh right along with him. Good job, kid. By the way, civil disobedience requires suffering the consequences of breaking unjust rules, so I’m glad that the young man has been punished. Otherwise, none of us would have heard about it. I hope that Mr. Benya doesn’t sue, but he and a lawyer should both go to collect his diploma (and they should both, of course, wear bolos). Believe me, school administrators are cowards, and none would dream of giving Benya a hard time if the young man had a lawyer with him.
I am a former “educrat,” as I guess the term goes, from the trenches of the Glorious State Indoctriantion Centers for the People (as Stalin would term them), and I must say that I do take exception to overt teacher-bashing. I will have to admit that I have come across some bad teachers along the way in my career as an “educrat” (cute) and as a student. For the most part, however, the teachers I have encountered have been truly dedicated and masterful with their content areas. I would say that the overwhelming majority of teachers are competent and effective.
Like I said, I have met a few stinkers along the way, and a person will meet a few stinkers along the way in any profession. For example, my wife, who is a surgeon, tells me of a few stinkers in her field. One is also likely to run across a terrible dentist (I had one, so I changed and went to another), a terrible engineer, a terrible lawyer, etc., but a person does not deal with other professionals in large groups like he does with teachers. Many of us have had terrible experiences with teachers as students, so many of us appear to be still bitter. I will say, however, that my own public school education was excellent, but then again, I put a lot of effort into it myself.
I have no doubt that homeschooled children perform at a higher level, on the average, than publicly educated children. I would chalk this up to an intense involvement on the part of the parent in the child’s education that is based on love rather than on policy. Many kids, however, lack that type of love and involvement, so many are turned over to schools to be raised, not just educated. Since schools cannot do even one thing terribly well, the extra social burdens dumped upon them make them even more ineffective
My daughter, the joy of my life, will not attend a public school, but I will probably send her to a private one (I’m looking at Quaker “Friends” schools because I really admire their educational philosophy). This is not because I feel that the teachers at public schools are inferior. In fact, in my own job hunting at the beginning of my career, I discovered that it was much easier to land a job at a private school than it was at a public one (their teachers are truly underpaid). It is because I choose not to make her a subject of the morons who inhabit public school boards and principals’ offices.
This thought should chill everyone with a child in public schools — most adminsistrators could never themselves teach. They were ineffective in the classrooms (indeed, it is hard to pull an effective teacher out of the classroom), so now, they’ve earned basically mail-order “doctorates in education” or “master’s degrees in school leadership,” or some other such nonsense. These highly-qualified persons are in charge of curriculum, discipline, and all other aspects of public school, and many of them wield power far beyond their intellectual or moral reach. As a result, kids are not to question or to think analytically, just do. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin wrote of public education in theory, and it is absolutely horrfic how schools have turned out in practice.
By the way, great blog, Jim. I truly enjoy reading it. It is kind of like “The Darwin Awards” for school stupidity, of which, unfortunately, there is plenty.
Chris,
A long, thoughtfull comment. A couple of things: One problem with bad teachers is that, unlike, say, a bad dentist, you cannot readily avoid them. Imagine if all dentists belonged to a union and would refuse to let the patients of a bad dentist switch!
In spite of the bashing of public schools I sometimes engage in here, I went to public school myself during high school, and there were several excellent teachers there. Sadly, there were a few incompetents to balance things out.
dweeb,
Unless this school does things differently from the way every graduation I’ve ever seen, the kids are wearing their robes the entire time. Those things pretty much cover up everything underneath. I don’t really care much what’s underneath, altho I think that having enough clothes that you won’t cause a scene if the wind somehow blows yoru robe up would be a good idea. Do you care what color the insulation inside the walls of your house is, or whether it’s blown cellulose, pink fiberglass, or clay-slip straw, as long as it keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer?
Rick,
I was just at a high school commencement last weekend, and, like with my and my siblings’ high school and college graduations, the robes were v-necked, and our collars and ties were very visible. How else would anyone know that other kids had garishly colored ties?
Thanks for your comments, Rick.
Believe me, I have also had my share of lousy teachers. My way of coping with such teachers (from the standpoint of a student) was to educate myself and attempt to rise above an unfortunate circumstance. Even if a class was a waste of my time because of a lousy teacher, it was not a complete loss since the experience taught me that sometimes in life, there will be some doofus who will be in charge of me (Benya knew this, and he has made sure that many more of us would know this as well).
I’ve never belonged to a union (I taught in a non-union state), but, nevertheless, I believe that teachers’ unions get an unfair share of the blame for the problems in schools. I tend to pick on administrators in much the same way, so we all have our scapegoats. The problem is far more complex than merely blaming unions or administration, but these entities are the ones most easily attacked. Schools, like any social institution, are merely a reflection of the society that they serve.
Zero Tolerance echoes throughout our society. For example, my mother-in-law was harassed while trying to board a plane with a silver pickle fork in her carry-on (it was an heirloom that she was bringing to my wife, and security confiscated it and threatened her). In a society that considers a grandmother with a pickle fork to be a potential hijacker, are we so surprised when the same type of (non)thinking affects a kid like Benya?
Dweeb,
to you I say the same thing I said to Barry, only you were more polite about it.
We have to draw the line somewhere about clothing, yes. But it’s much more logical to put every piece of cloth you tie around your neck and hang down your chest for ornamental purposes in the same way, than it is to treat a bolo like a grass skirt. American cultural hegemony faces far more severe threats than one guy wearing a tie that’s too thin. Some high schools, lie mine, don’t have any formal dress codes for graduation. And we produce fine, upstanding alums who realize that clothes are less useful ways to show respect than actions.
Any punishment would be excessive for this, but as earlier comments also note it is unclear just what the punishment is–it could be really excessive.
A few things were glossed over in the news report and other places.
The school does have a process where a student may request an exemption. If reasonable, almost always the exemption is granted.
A young Muslim woman asked if she might wear slacks instead of a skirt because she had to wear clothing to her ankles and felt a long skirt might cause her to trip as she was walking up and down the stairs. Her exemption was granted.
Mr Benya did not ask for an exemption. At the rehearsal (the day before the ceremony) he was told his tie was not acceptable and he would have to wear a standard knotted tie (a clip on probably would have sufficed) for the ceremony. A verbal conflict ensued and Mr. Benya stormed out of the hall. The principal follwed him out of the hall, returning a short while later —- alone.
Yesterday, during a FOX News interview, Mr Benya told America that others were in violation of the dress code, citing specifically the lady who wore slacks. At no time during the interview was it mentioned that she requested and was granted an exemption, while Mr Benya just presumed if we wore his bolo to graduation, no one would do anything about it that late in the game.
Mr Benya was not denied his diploma, nor was he prevented from participating in the ceremony. As everyone else, he walked across the stage as his name was announced and received the diploma jacket just like everyone else. The diplomas were distributed after the ceremony. Because Mr Benya blatantly defied the dress code, even though he had been forewarned, he was told he could pick up his diploma the next day at the school.
Mr Benya refused to pick up his diploma so the school mailed it to him. To the best of my knowledge he still has not picked up his diploma at the PO because he feels the school system should present his diploma to him in a ceremony with the principal, friends and family in attendance.
Several students followed protocol requesting exemptions for any number of reasons; all were granted. According to a close family friend of the Benya family, all of these students were in violation of the dress code. Their exemptions were irrelevent as they were in “violation with impunity.”
In the end, had Mr Benya requested an exemption in March for cultural reasons, his request may very well have been granted. Instead, he TOLD the school he WOULD wear his bolo tie regardless of their rules or forewarnings.
So the issue was never that a bolo tie is not a tie, which, of course, it is. … the BIG THREE… at issue here (written by Jim awhile back):
“An apology would indicate that they did something wrong. The hubris and ivory tower mentality present in so many scholastic administrations does not allow this. I’m not being sarcastic, this is a sad fact. Education authorities have a horrible habit of thinking they are more intelligent than the people around them.
There is also a misguided sentiment that they will lose control if they admit that they make mistakes. There is a palpable fear culture in many schools where the staff believes they are always on the edge of chaos. Anything that compromises security and control is forbidden.
The third reason is culpability. When you admit to making a mistake there is a larger chance that you will be held culpable for your future mistakes.”
I agree with Rick C.’s comments about the commencement robes covering clothing. While some schools may use robes that have a V-neck, others don’t. I know my high school didn’t when I graduated and still doesn’t. I had a brand new dress on under my robe, but you couldn’t see a trace of it…the only thing visible was a short spance of my legs and my shoes. The name applied to all the other girls graduating, whereas all you could see on the boys was the lower part of their dark colored slacks and their shoes. I could have gone partially naked (I didn’t) under my robes and no one would have been the wiser.
Belac,
From a cultural standpoint, the bolo might as well be a grass skirt, or a tribal fertility mask. All I’m saying is it’s a complex issue, how much a society is going to protect their culture from assimilation. There are pros and cons to both sides. Personally, I was more on the kid’s side until I read June’s comments about the exemption policy. Now I have much less sympathy for him. A procedure was provided and he didn’t avail himself of it.
The school does have a process where a student may request an exemption. If reasonable, almost always the exemption is granted.
So, the kid’s offense was not just that he wore forbidden neckwear, but also that he failed to bow obsequiously before the idols of public education, and humbly beg the all-knowing gods of administration if they would deign to tolerate his minor variance from their Holy Dress Code.
V the K, is it safe to presume you are saying if you don’t like a rule, you simply ignore it, then blame the “establishment” if you’re caught and expected to be accountable for your actions?
Basic rules were established by the school, to which the majority of the student body adhered. Those who felt they had legitimate cause for exemption REQUESTED one. There was never any mention of “humble begging” by anyone, including those who were most strongly supportive of Mr. Benya.
Mr. Benya felt the rules were unfair in his situation, but made no effort to request an exemption. Instead, he told the principal (at the rehearsal) that he did not like the rule and refused to acknowledge it.
We are all bound by rules. If we don’t like them, we either request an exemption or work towards changing them. If we ignore them, and are caught, there will be consequences. This has always been the “system.”
A Charles County [Maryland] high school’s decision to deny a diploma to a senior who wore a bolo tie to graduation didn’t offend just the student and his family. Montana’s governor is mighty annoyed, too.
“To have some high school say that a bolo tie is not a tie is an outrage,” said Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D), who called The Washington Post yesterday after reading an article about 17-year-old Thomas Benya.
“In Montana and anyplace in Indian country, a bolo tie is dressed up,” he said. “A tie is a tie.”
Schweitzer, who has a collection of more than 30 string ties, called to encourage Benya yesterday and is sending him a Montana state bolo
from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061001829.html
JuneS: If a bolo is a tie, then he didn’t need permission, and should not have asked for it. Apparently, a bolo is a tie. Ergo, he didn’t need permission. If a bolo wasn’t a tie, your criticism would be valid.
Dweeb: If America’s mainstream culture was compromised to the point where people felt justified in wearing grass skirts to formal occasions, it would indeed be a drastic change. If it was compromised to the point where people felt justified in wearing thin ties, about 10 people would notice. You are one of the 10, and I salute your vigilance in upholding America’s sartorial traditions. However, the broken-window theory does not apply to clothing. If you’re going to be a watchdog for America’s cultural clothing standards, one high school graduation’s width-of-tie controversy is a bad place to be. Why not cheer on the trend of high school girls wearing longer skirts, and boys wearing button-down shirts? More seriously, you’re setting a very broad definition of cultural threat, which I hold is excessive in this instance.
In Maryland, the individual schools set the dress code for events. Some events are more casual than others. In this district, the school wanted the graduation ceremony to be more formal and uniform. Because knot ties are the “norm” in this part of the country, this is what was expected of the students. It is very rare that you will see a bolo tie at formal or semi-formal school events.
Throughout the year, the students are reasonably free to express themselves; trends and cultural accessories are accepted. Graduation was the exception and notices were sent to the parents of each graduating student in March stating the dress code for the ceremony.
The schools set the dress codes. As with all rules, there will always be at least one renegade who will challenge them. Mr Benya was that renegade. The school, and majority of parents, feel the rules were reasonable and stood by them.
Rules are in place for a purpose, regardless of how foolish they may appear to some. In my workplace our dress code is very strict. I don’t like some of the rules but I comply because I understand that without rules there is chaos. Such was the case with previous graduation ceremonies.
I beg to differ with you Thomas was not the renegade, he was singled out for this by the principal and vice principal. If you have read the articles, you would see that several students were allowed to express themselves by using air horns, beach balls, and last but not least, one student removed his dress pants and tossed them in the air. And correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that he was going against the dress code. All of these students recieved their diplomas. This information has been conviently left out by anyone from the board of ed. I don’t know, maybe your strict dress code does not require the men to wear pants. The chaos was not created by Benya, but by the screaming parents, students with air horns, and students doing a striptease.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/15/AR2005061502419.html
The principal apparently decided to mail him the diploma after all of this attention. The student has refused delivery, saying he wants it delivered in person in front of friends and family.
There’s also a photo of him wearing the tie.
Belac, I’m not saying it’s a huge insult to tradition. I’m saying that WHEN to apply the broken window theory is a complex question, and the answer may vary based on region and other variables. It’s something to consider. One man’s bolo is another’s grass skirt, and by changing regions, we may find situations where the two represent equivalent deviations.
This is turning out not to be as simple as we may have thought. First we hear about the exemption process, and then we hear about other students who removed their pants. Clearly, there is more to this situation than originally thought, and we’re getting the real story in little pieces.
Now the Kid is being an ass
This is an urgent call to anyone on these message boards who supports the young man who wore the bolo tie, Thomas Benya, and was so unfairly maligned in his community for honoring his Cherokee Indian heritage at his high school graduation ceremony.
If you support Mr. Benya and admire him for the courageous stand he took against his bully principal, Garth Bowling, and those cowardly Charles County School Board members, then please do the following today:
1. E-mail a letter to the editor in support of him to the following individual:
Angela Breck, Editor of The Maryland Independent — abreck@somdnews.com
2. Also e-mail the following elected officials of the school board who were so cowardly and inappropriate in their handling of this situation:
Margaret Young, Chairman — mayoung@ccboe.com
Jennifer S. Abell, Vice Chairman — jabell@ccboe.com
Collins A. Bailey, Member — cbailey@ccboe.com
Mark J. Crawford, Member — mcrawford@ccboe.com
Kathy Levanduski, Member — klevanduski@ccboe.com
Cecil Marshall, Member — cemarshall@ccboe.com
Donald M. Wade, Member — dwade@ccboe.com
C.J. Caniglia, Student Member — ccaniglia@ccboe.com
James E Richmond, Superintendent of Schools — jrichmond@ccboe.com
O’Malley-Simpson, Media Relations — komalley@ccboe.com
Garth Bowling, Principal — gbowling@ccboe.com
Patrick Cunniff, Vice Principal — pcunniff@ccboe.com
Thanks.
P.S. The kid is catching some real hell down in Southern Maryland because of an orchestrated effort by some . . . he could really use the support.
Mandatory dress codes are ridiculous, especially ones that force girls to wear skirts. Fucking sexists.
The issue is clear in terms of fact:
The written advisory to parents specified a tie, with no other adjective or qualifier to that noun.
The Vice-Principal advised the student, very near graduation, at a dress rehearsal, that the tie the student was wearing would not be acceptable. It seems a sudden argument then took place between the student and the Vice-Principal, following which the student left the school,returning home presumably to further consult with his parent(s).
It appears the V-P then referred the matter to the Principal (thus removing it from his own hands and responsibility) and, at the same time, the mother called the Principal seeking clarification and likely consequences if the student proceeded with his special tie.
The Principal advised the student, or the parent of the student,or both, that the consequences of wearing the tie in question would be to show disrespect to the Vice-Principal and to the ceremony itself.
No other consequence, certain, likely or possible, was stated.
The student walked across the stage with the other students and received the empty container in the same way as every other graduate. He was not singled out or embarassed in any way at that point.
After the ’stage ceremony’, when he entered the room to pick up his real diploma with the other graduates, it was not there, and the Principal announced it was being temporarily withheld pending a meeting with himself and the student the next day, because, the Principal said, the student was not properly dressed. Those students in the room would have heard this. It is not clear if any parents were in the room. This would have been the first point of “public humiliation” or ” public embarassment” for the student. This was the first point where the student came to understand his diploma was being temporarily witheld as a disciplinary measureresulting from his wearing his special tie.
During the ceremony itself, other students showed open disrespect for the solemnity of the formalities by such actions as wearing conventional ties of wild cut or colours, using air horns, and one student even removed his pants.
In addition, individual male parents were permitted to come to the stage and present the empty diploma cases to their own children, while other graduates received the empty cases from the school officials only.
Following the release of the matter to the press, and subsequent publicity, the Principal decided (or was told) not to bother with the meeting but simply to mail the diploma to the student, where he would go to the post office and collect it, as with any other mail.
The student has refused to accept the diploma, and wants an apology and a personal presentation.
Legal action by the family is possible, but has not yet happened.
ANALYSIS
My own view is, if it went to court, the family and the student have a very good chance of winning, but it is not a sure thing.
Incidental is the accepted fact that other students, who did get their real diplomas in the “diploma room” after the stage ceremony, behaved in far more disruptive ways, with removing pants, air horns and so on.
Analysis:
1. The student complied with the written dress code as sent to parents.
2. The Vice-Principals refusal to accept the student’s bola tie as acceptable was ill-considered, culturally narrow, arbitrary and unecessary to good order and formality in the ceremony to come.
3. The maximum consequence or penalty for refusal to change the tie in question to one more acceptable to the authorities was clearly spelled out by the Principal to both the mother and the student, namely, that it would show disrespect to the V-P and to the event itself. No other consequence was mentioned, either certain, likely or possible. It is rather like saying, “If one exceeds the speed limit here by 20 miles per hour, the maximum penalty is a $100 fine.”
Given subsequent events, it appears neither the student nor his mother was especially impressed that the consequence would be to disrespect the V-P or the ceremony. Most likely, they did not care if the V-P was or felt disrespected and no doubt honestly believed the ceremony would in no way be compromised, the Principal’s opinion notwithstanding and to the contrary.
4. Clearly, an additional penalty, not specified prior to the “offence” was subsequently imposed, where no further offence took place. This is contary to all our best traditions of natural justice, common law and legal procedures in a democracy. It’s as if a judge was to say, “In addition to the $100 fine, for no other reason, I also sentence you to one week in jail.”
5. One cannot use other offences, real or imagined, of others to defend one’s own behavior. When pulled over for speeding, for example, one cannot defend by claiming, even if true, that “other cars were going faster.”
As a defence, then, the more outrageous behavior of the other students is not relevant.
6. That being said, the failure to punish the other disruptive and disrespectful students leads any reasonable person to conclude this student has been singled out for formal action for some unknown reason.
It is as if a person was going ten miles an hour over the posted limit, with all the traffic around going twenty or thirty over the limit, and yet it is the “least severe offender” who is pulled over and ticketed.
It is legal to do so, but the motives of the arresting officers are certainly open to question.
8. I don’t believe the ultimate issue is either racial or cultural. It think, based on my own background and experience, that a Vice-Principal, possibly under stress, simply “lost his cool”, over-reacted, and that his own boss, the Principal, felt he had to “back his subordinate” with, shall we say, this “smart-ass kid”. This whole thing is permeated not by racism or cultural bias but more by a sense of, ” I will show you who is boss around here!” kind of emotion on the part of the two administrators. Real professionals, especially seasoned school administrators, should never get into that kind of “ONE UP” contest with students. The possibility they did so testifies either to a great deal of fatique and stress or lack of maturity and professional judgement in themselves.
Should the student or the family launch legal action, there is an excellent change they will succeed, but the amount of damages will likely be less than they may think, given the nature and circumstances surrounding the initial “humiliation” in the diploma room itself after the more public ceremony. The publicity that follows is not the fault, legally, of the administrators or the School Board.
One comment on one post indicated that teachers and school administrators are often a nervous, up-tight lot, believing they are always on the edge of likely chaos, and almost emotionally desperate to “maintain order”, “enforce rules” and “keep the barbarians in line.” What makes it complex is this is not always simple paranoia. However, the over-all impression of this particular school would suggest, if that is the way some administrators were feeling, or staff, that it had little basis in the reality of the over-all student body.
______________________________________
One mark of real, independent adult status is to “run your own show.” Young adults, 18 or even 19, should tell school officials they want no part of a school commencement, and certainly they do not want to receive their diplomas from a Principal or such-like. Instead, they should all get together, elect an executive, get the necessary adults to act for them if they are not of legal age, and make their own, off-campus arrangements.
Rent a hall… a really nice place.
Get their own orchestra, decorations and bar
Invite their own speakers.
Rent the gowns or caps they like or want
Invite those teachers voted on as being worthy to attend. Don’t invite the others.
Elect their own valedictorian.
Invite their parents and families.
Walk across the stage and take in their own hands congratulatory documents they have produced themselves.
Hire their own professional security.
Run their own dance.
Pay for it themselves from a “Graduation Fund” they have raised or contributed to.
By law, the actual diplomas are theirs and will come in the mail. They could then hold a public burning or urination ceremony. Entry to colleges and universities is based on transcripts of marks and SAT tests and so on, not the piece of paper to frame on the wall.I always think of Martin Luther, burning the Papal Bull of Excommunication in the public square.