Texas school district threatens to suspend students to *GASP* protest gun violence

The Hill

A superintendent in a Texas school district is warning that students will be suspended if they cause any disruptions to protest gun violence.

Needville Independent School District (ISD) Superintendent Curtis Rhodes said in a letter that was sent to families and posted on social media that students would be suspended for three days if they took part in the protests happening following the deadly Florida high school shooting, The Houston Chronicle reported.

In the statement, Rhodes said that Needville ISD is "very sensitive" to violence in schools.

"Please be advised that the Needville ISD will not allow a student demonstration during school hours for any type of protest or awareness!!" Rhodes said.

"Should students choose to do so, they will be suspended from school for 3 days and face all the consequences that come along with an out of school suspension."

Life is about choices, Rhodes said, adding that "every choice has a consequence whether it be positive or negative."

"We will discipline no matter if it is one, fifty, or five hundred students involved," the statement said.

"All will be suspended for 3 days and parent notes will not alleviate the discipline."

He said a school is a place to learn and grow "educationally, emotionally and morally" and pledged that the school district would not tolerate disruptions.

"Respect yourself, your fellow students and the Needville Independent School District and please understand that we are here for an education and not a political protest," the statement said.

The comments come after 17 people were killed when a gunman opened fire last week at a high school in Florida.

Since the shooting, students have become vocal advocates for gun control, demanding that lawmakers act to prevent future tragedies.

On Tuesday, hundreds of students at a school in Florida walked out of class and began marching toward the high school where the deadly shooting took place as a call to action and a show of solidarity.

A nationwide school walkout has also been planned to protest gun violence.

Students who survived the high school shooting last week are visiting the Florida state capital Wednesday to demand that lawmakers act.

First we have conservative figures who are so far-right out their own asses ridiculing victims (D'Souza, Trump Jr., etc) victims of the Florida shooting, and now this.

Land of the free everybody

Ah the red state. So willing to spout about rights until they disagree with them.

Nothing wrong with that.

They should all just walk out. Good luck suspending everyone.

I liked being suspended, that meant I didn't have to go out of my way to skip school. :P I'm sure the students are shaking in their boots.

except it goes on your record and that is a factor if you want to get into a good college

If it's during school hours, I agree with them. If it's not during school hours, the school can go **** themselves.

the irony here is that what they are protesting is because of a shooting in a school, during school hours.

its like telling someone to shut up and sit still in the very area where they are saying please stop

If it's disrupting school, I can see why they wouldn't want it to happen.

yes a hotting in a school during school hours is rather disruptive.

so its not surprising some take issue with being told that they have to be in class, during school hours which is when the shooting took place.

think about my next response to your reply before replying because its likely I will just be highlighting this point some more :)

Students being told that they have to be in class.......is normal.

yes....

but expecting them to do so when a shooting happened during class hours is not normal, at all.

nor is being dismissive about the violence

You seriously cannot be this dense. They're not protesting during a shooting, they're protesting during normal school hours. The school didn't cause the shooting, a nutjob who wanted to end life did.

Schools have to maintain some order, and there are rules and regulations put in place for them not to disrupt class.

its abnormal to expect students to stay in school during school hours when a shooting happened during school hours in a school.

Its abnormal to be dismissive about the violence that occured. It qualifies in my mind as being pro-violent to be that dismissive about the violence that happened

You almost had me for a minute with the trolling.

Well done.

Does that make the school pro-gun violence? If someone decides to shoot up that particular school are they welcome and in the clear to do so?

I am dead serious

Also, doesn't this just give the students to have the opportunity to do something that makes them feel patriotic while getting a follow up 3 day vacation for doing so? Hell, they'll probably get on the news for getting told not to stand up against gun violence and doing it anyways.

So the equation becomes, don't do this and get to keep going to school for the next 3 days, or do this thing that they believe in, get the next 3 days off school, and potentially get on tv for it. Geeze that's a tough call.

So, about that freedom of speech that conservatives seem to love so much.....

the current word on the street is that its ok as long as its not during school hours.

so in other words they want the kids to go back to the very place where they were shot and save the protests for later.

yup...true story

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences. With that being said, I support the student's actions and the school can go f*** themselves. Also, the amount of regulatory rules (e.g. zero tolerance; police presence) that schools implement is astonishingly horrifying. It's no wonder why students these days can't function like adults. It's not normal. It's not normal around the world.

They should organize demonstrations near/concurrently with some of the other numerous demonstrations that take place at schools (things like the See You at the Flag demonstrations) and draw a parallel, daring the school to follow through.

This isn't that surprising, and would probably happen for just about any protest or walk out

And if it's a meaningful cause then the kids should gladly take the suspension

Time, place, and manner regulations have been upheld by the supreme court

Basically, you're not protected from consequences if you're being disruptive

Eh the SC is a political tool anyway.

The whole narrative of, "Feel free to protest, but not in a way that makes any waves or upsets anyone," really is bullshit if I've ever heard it.

Most people out there will look at a 16-18yr old for guidance, right? At that age you think you know everything but you don't. Yesterday afternoon CNN was interviewing young high school kids about firearms. They didn't know their ass from their elbow but thought they did.

@Serraph105

I think being dismissive about the violence and making jokes about taking vacations is disgusting.

and its what I call 'pro-violence' groups.

Thanks, ass. I was on your side of this issue, and I wasn't making a joke about a 3 day vacation because it's how a lot of high schoolers see suspensions.

no sorry the person you were replying to was. i got lazy and didnt look for his source post.

specifically that was targeted toward @Serraph105. will change my orginal as well

@tryit: I see a lot of pro-stupid groups, you seem to be leading one today actually.

that doesnt make sense but whatever.

if a persons is going to make jokes and be dismissive about real violence AND they see violence as the first option to solve a problem then I have zero problem calling it what it clearly is which is pro-violence, them taking offensive to that or not is their problem on that I dont care

3 day vacation for all teachers!

in all seriousness though. actions do have consequences including protests. actually not a bad lesson for hs kids to understand the punishment ( be it right or wrong ) sometimes applied to those who speak up for what they believe in and gain a greater appreciation for those who take those risks.

Texas is home to some of the worst mass shootings ever, but I doubt they ever bring up that little fact.

When exactly do the protests take place? Protesting in the middle of school hours, can end up disrupting and ruining the education for everyone else.

Pretty much this.

Absolutely. I don't see a problem with this policy at all (though I think 3 days suspension is a bit strict), and while I 100% sympathize with the students' desire to get out and express their frustration, the school has every right to say it's disruptive to them trying to do their job while on their grounds and during their time.

@MirkoS77@Maroxad Glad you agree.

'have the right' and 'its the right thing to do' is not often the same thing.

I have the right to be a dick, but it doesnt make it a wise choice

when did the shooting happen?

oh yeah...during school hours. so

1. that is kinda distruptive

2. its a bit rich to tell people to go back to where they were shot, sit down and shut up and save their complaints for later when they were not shot

These kids weren't shot in that class. You can't just say **** school and have chaos.

You've been doing well at trolling, being really subtle and egging people on. This is just plain lazy though.

sorry but that is not even worth responding to

I know your response wasn't, but I gave you the courtesy anyways.

Getting suspended for this will probably help the kids out if they write a good admissions essay.

very good point

lol what?

it to complicated for some to understand

Explain it to me, teach me.

you?

nope

You just confirmed you're not interested in an honest conversation.