In a move reminiscent of Soviet era thuggery, a high school in Delaware county in Pennsylvania has used its iron fist to control the elections for student government.
A Chichester High School student tried to run for Vice-President of the student government. But half way through the process the school raised the GPA requirements. The new requirements excluded him from running, so he decided to launch a write-in campaign.
From The Delaware County Times:
But, when an eleventh-grader wanted to run for vice president of his senior class, he was told his 2.2 GPA wasn’t sufficient and his name could not be on the ballot. Sometime, somewhere the administration had raised the required GPA to 2.5.
Since the young man could not find that new requirement written anywhere, he scattered posters throughout the school proclaiming his write-in candidacy.
School officials confiscated the posters and suspended the would-be class officer. But it didn’t end there.
Six students who disagreed with the school’s action, six students who supported the candidacy of the suspended student, wore their feelings on their shirts the next day. And that illustration of freedom of expression got those six students the right to join their favored candidate in suspension.
Too bad he wasn't on drugs or something, he school would have given him counseling and tried to understand him. All he tried to do was run for office.
The big thing in schools and communities now is to promote positive activities like sports or groups like student government. The thinking is that if kids have positive things to do which promote values and positive reinforcement, kids will be less likely to be into negative activities.
It's good to see that schools practice what they preach.
Posted by psugrad98 at May 20, 2004 08:37 AM
