News-Record.com

Your kid is required to snitch.

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You sound far too much like Deena Hayes today.

Doug:

George Orwell becomes more and more prophetic the closer we move toward a nanny state. You correctly point out the absurdity of the proposed law and why we should all be opposed to efforts like these to make government omnipotent.

Best,

Paul Daniels

Thanks, Paul. Of course, GCS already has a policy on bullying and harassment:

http://www.gcsnc.com/policies/admin_policy/jcdad-p.htm

It does not include a tattle-tale requirement.

js, I knew the Deena Hayes reference would come up. I see a big difference, though, between encouraging students to report knowledge of criminal activity by other students and requiring them to report gestures or communication that could be interpreted as harassment.

Doug:

I ran into the GCS anti-bullying policy several months ago when I found it tacked up in the gym at SE Middle School. I remember thinking to myself this is kind of silly. Bullying is a bad thing; I know from first hand experience. However, quantifying what constitutes bullying is often difficult, as you have pointed out. What is good-natured fun one day could be bullying the next.

Additionally, as you know the policy specifies characteristics and attributes for which bullying is prohibited. This, of course, might imply to some that bullying based on other attributes is not prohibited. If we are going to have an anti-bullying policy wouldn't it be more rational have a policy that says we don't allow bullying, period.

Bully bill requires snitching* Doug

Don't worry! If the State Democrat control freak snitch law does not cut it in the local schools. President Obama has already a massive snitch Soviet style program in the works to really get your attention for the future.

"Obama’s “Civilian National Security Force”

July 16, 2008

"In the months and years ahead, with the engineered deconstruction of the economy, a “domestic security force” possibly the size of the U.S. military will be required to “to prevent collusion and maintain security dependence among the vassals,” as Obama functionary Big Z. Brzezinski might describe it.

It appears candidate Obama, if elected, fully intends to recruit young citizens into something he calls a “national security force,” apparently a large paramilitary group “just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded” as the U.S. military. Obama made passing reference to this disturbing idea in a speech delivered in Chicago on July 2. As should be expected, the corporate media, with the exception on the Chicago Tribune, completely ignored the statement and its implications."

Paul,

That's exactly what Howard Lee, chairman of the State Board of Education, says:

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1144188.html

Connie: That's nonsense.

The Deena Hayes comparison is valid. Terms like "snitching" and "tattle-tales" indicate a hostility toward authority -- just like Deena Hayes exhibits.

Surely, you don't truly believe that this bill is designed to prevent the everyday teasing and joking that goes on in every public school. Clearly, the intent is to crack down on harrassment -- and any child, if he or she was brought up to respect others, can tell the difference.

Doug, do you really not think we have a culture of disrepect and violence in Guilford County Schools? Do you really think there's not a problem with in-school violence, harrassment and general thuggery?

Actually, the N&R Editorial Board is part of the cause of this problem. The Guilford County School Board and former Superintendent Terry Grier created an atmosphere where political correctness was more important than safe schools. They instituted an unofficial "quota" on the number of African-American male students who could be suspended and balked when the Greensboro Police Department approached them about a School Watch program.

Yet, the N&R's Opinion Page remained silent about school crime, instead pretending to believe Grier & the school board were doing a "great job." I guess in Liberalville, the bullies and thugs are "misunderstood" while their victims are "tattletales" who obviously need more sensitivity training.

I don't think this bill is intended to deal with school violence or thuggery. On the contrary, I believe its primary purpose is to eliminate teasing and joking aimed at certain groups, which can be cruel and harmful. Physical assaults by bullies should be dealt with already by existing rules and laws.

Doug said:

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1144188.html

Connie: That's nonsense

I agree! But! I had no idea that you were Obama brigade leader for the 21 st century police state.

" Obama Nazi Youth Brigade"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVjcRkeKFsc&eurl=http://www.infowars.com/?p=3443

Physical assaults by bullies should be dealt with already by existing rules and laws

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The key words are "should be," but that's not happening, at least here in Guilford County Schools.

School discipline and violence are huge problems. Either the existing rules aren't working or they aren't being enforced. But there is a problem -- a problem our local school leaders aren't adequately addressing.

Nevertheless, this particular legislation, which apparently is now dead for the session, was not meant to address that.

I believe you're right that, in GCS, many incidents that could be prosecuted have not been. Maybe that's true in all systems.

Let me add a different view of this. In my opinion, this new law could be good. Certainly if a student doesn't snitch, he won't be in trouble for not snitching. What I think about are the many teachers who turn their heads when hildren are being verbally bullied and do nothing because "kids will be kids". I hope that this will cause the teachers to take more responsibility towards stopping the bullying.

It happens everyday and the teachers do nothing.