Put This on Your "Permanent Record"

A 14-year-old boy who had been disciplined by his public school (and outed to his parents) for the heinous crime of talking to classmates about being gay has settled his suit with the district. The Pulaski County Special School District will cough up $25,000, apologize, clear the kid's record, and generally agree not to let school officials be such complete bastards in the future. In a just world, the teachers would also have to write "I will not harass my gay students" on the blackboard 500 times. (Via The 50 Minute Hour)

Comments

[Jersey Guy]

You're wrong in saying that it's the school district that will cough up the money -- it's the poor taxpayers in the district that will have to pony up the cash.

If the kid and his lawyer really wanted to put a stop to this kind of thing, they would have sued the district officials personally instead of going after the district. Hitting the taxpayers does nothing to fix the problem -- and I'm SURE that's what they kid and his attorney were trying do. I'm SURE they weren't after the money now were they.

[Sandy]

Uh, Joisey Youse Guys, you might want to RTFA.

"A general condition of the settlement requires that the school district not disclose a student's sexual orientation or punish a student for talking about his or her sexual orientation outside the classroom." Sounds like an attempt to stop the behavior to me.

Oh, and it wasn't "the kid and his lawyer," it was the ACLU. Much as I disagree with them on occasion, I just don't see them as in it for the Benjamins.

[MFP]

Whatever happened to detention?

[Plutarck]

Whatever to happened to "Oh, haha, those crazy kids!"

...it never actually existed, did it? Damn it...

[Anonymous]

Welcome to 2003, Pluto.

[Jersey Guy]

If the kid and the ACLU were interested only in righting a wrong, fighting for the oppresed underdog, sticking it to the Man then what's up with the $25K?

[md]

The $25K is because saying you're sorry doesn't hurt quite enough. $25K means individual teachers and administrators will think a little bit before they do it again for fear of losing their jobs.

[Plutarck]

"If the kid and the ACLU were interested only in righting a wrong, fighting for the oppresed underdog, sticking it to the Man then what's up with the $25K?"

Uh...that's kind of ironic. If you want to stick it to the man, isn't a rather good way of doing that to take his stuff? In general, during revolutions and riots - as in Iraq, for instance - people don't just start looting merely because they want stuff, but because taking the stuff of who you're fighting against is it's own kind of injury.

In other words, "If you can't beat them, take their money."

[joe]

Sticking it to the Man costs money.

[Plutarck]

It takes money to make money...err, I mean, "It takes money to take money."

Ooo, that was excellant! I shall have to remember that...