Northwest Indiana Discussion

Teacher refuses to hang student's drawing of American flag


ORANGE, Mass. (WWLP) - A civil rights controversy is brewing at an elementary school in the Town of Orange, and it all surrounds an11 year-old's drawing of the American Flag.

The family of Frankie Girard is claiming that their son's civil rights were violated after a teacher allegedly told him that hanging his picture of the American flag would offend another student.

The Butterfield Elementary School is at the center of controversy for the incident on Monday. According to Frankie Girard’s father, John, the boy was in art class drawing a picture.

"He was denied hanging the flag up. And, he asked if he could just even hang it on his desk, and he was told no. He could take the picture that he drew and take it home and be proud of it there,” Girard said.

So, that is where it is, among the hundreds of other family pictures and military honors that adorn the walls of the Girard family home.

According to his father, the teacher told Frankie that his drawing of the American Flag would offend one of his classmates. "We’re allowing him to display his civil rights and be proud of who he is, but we’re denying Franklin those same rights," Girard said.

What could have been an opportunity for the staff and students to explore shared values and build respect for different opinions, one angry parent has created a controversy where there was none. Report Reply
If the student was "not doing the work, that was intended", then that should have been the explanation....

I understand why the school isn't replying, just wish we could hear the whole story.

If the American flag is so offensive to some people, then maybe they just need to get the heck out of America. What are they doing living here, if the symbol of the freedoms they are enjoying here, is so offensive to them? Let them go elsewhere.

Well, OK...now it's Offensive Educators...plural.

Oh...and there's more...

http://articles.boston.com/2008-01-28/n ... e-teachers

And yet...even more...

http://loveourchildrenusa.blogspot.com/ ... -safe.html

Ahhh......people like chuckwipe.

Carry on..

Schools arrange secret abortions
Last updated 05:00 15/05/2011

Schools are helping teenage girls keep abortions secret from their parents. Imogen Neale reports.

A MOTHER is angry her 16-year-old daughter had a secret abortion arranged by a school counsellor.

Helen, not her real name, found out about the termination four days after it had happened. "I was horrified. Horrified that she'd had to go through that on her own, and horrified her friends and counsellors had felt that she shouldn't talk to us," she said.

She had suspected something was wrong, but her daughter insisted her tears were over everyday teenage dramas.

But Helen confronted her daughter's friends, who said the counsellor had taken the girl for a scan and to doctors. "I didn't know that they could do that."

Helen said teachers could discuss how a student was doing in school or phone parents when their child misbehaved, but would then keep life-changing situations such as abortions secret.

Her daughter had since told her the counsellor "wasn't very forthcoming" with advice. The counsellor did ask the girl if she had talked to her parents, but never pursued it.

Helen said follow-up counselling for her daughter was "nonexistent". She concedes patient confidentiality is a tricky issue and said her child feared she'd be disowned. "She's come to realise that's not the case. But if you're responsible for them, surely you should be told."

Helen has been too upset to approach the school. "Afterwards I was too wild, and I probably still am."

I read this full article, and I am angry. Girls as young as 11 years old have had abortions without their parents knowledge or consent. According to the article, the school routinely does this. They say that in the case of rape or incest, that the girls are too scared to tell their parents. Well, rape and incest are horrible crimes that should be reported to the police, not covered up by an abortion.

You know that article is about a school in New Zealand, right? Has anyone asked the counselors at their kids' schools how they would handle that situation?