Student's Suspension For Defending Classmate Against Bully Rescinded After Outcry
No policy change though
An update on Mark Betterson, the student athlete in Florida who received a 10-day suspension for intervening in a fight whose instigator was charged criminally, via the local NBC affiliate:
An East Lee County High School student, who was facing suspension and possible expulsion for hitting a fellow student, attended a punishment hearing Monday morning. Now, Mark Betterson says he will be allowed to return to school Tuesday. His punishment?
… Despite claims of good intentions on Betterson's part for jumping to the student's defense, the principal reminded students rules were broken.
The kind of zero tolerance policies that don't distinguish between aggression and self-defense protect school administrators from having to make decisions and judgment calls which could be second-guessed or even pilloried. Even where such policies reflect the kinds of laws that exist outside of school, they don't respect the right to self-defense that precedes and trumps them.