Wisconsin High School Suspends Student for Criticizing New Speech Policy on Twitter

Thin-skinned bureaucrats strike again.

Dreamstime

Star student-athlete April Gehl isn't a fan of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association's new sportsmanship guidelines, which prohibit teens from cheering inoffensive things like "air ball," and "we can't hear you" at games. Gehl tweeted, "EAT SHIT WIAA" along with a screenshot of the stipulations.

The thin-skinned bureaucrats at the WIAA didn't like being called out by a teen girl, so they instructed the athletic director at Gehl's high school to "please take care of it." Gehl was eventually suspended from her basketball team for five games. According to postcrescent.com:

"I couldn't believe it," Gehl said. "I was like, 'Really? For tweeting my opinion?' I thought it was ridiculous."

Gehl's tweet, which contained profanity directed toward the WIAA, was her off-the-cuff response to a WIAA email that took students to task for an increasing number of student-section chants at sporting events that mock the opposing team or school. …

According to Jill Gehl, that school policy includes a section on inappropriate language, which her daughter was ultimately punished for.

Being part of the basketball team is ostensibly a privilege, rather than a right, and the school has wide latitude to deprive certain privileges to students who act out. Even so, punishing Gehl for expressing a colorful opinion about a government policy on social media smacks of censorship. Certainly, it's wrong to teach students that they have no right to complain about state-imposed restrictions on their speech rights.

Hat tip: The College Fix

Comments

[colorblindkid]

Thankfully they caught her before she hurt anybody's feelings. I can only imagine the horror that would have ensued otherwise.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

"Certainly, it's wrong to teach students that they have no right to complain about state-imposed restrictions on their speech rights."

Stop - stop it, my sides - oh, God, stop the laughter.

[Jerryskids]

"Certainly, it's wrong to teach students that they have no right to complain about state-imposed restrictions on their speech rights."

I'll bet they think it's okay to teach students that they have a right to complain about the lack of state-imposed restrictions on their speech rights, though, so toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.

[Citizen X]

I'm sorry, miss, but did you think you were living in a place where you could just say whatever you want, whenever you want?

Teenagers are so foolish.

[phenryinohio]

Americans are so foolish.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

To be fair, does anyone like being called out by a teen girl?

[commodious spittoon]

Ew. Seriously? So gross.

[Clich? Bandit]

i love that commercial.

[esteve7]

EAT SHIT, indeed. How is that different than when we say "FUCK OFF, SLAVER"

[Roger the Shrubber]

punishing Gehl for expressing a colorful opinion about a government policy on social media smacks of censorship.

Robby - do you always have molten sugar on the stovetop for sugarcoating? You do know that you have to keep a close eye on the temperature and continuously stir it else you'll ruin your cookware or worse, start a fire?

[Clich? Bandit]

Hot break, watch for it or lose a pan.

[Clich? Bandit]

Ohh and don't listen to Roger, if you stir that shit you will fuck up a pan and a spoon.

[Lee G]

She should have said "EAT VERMONT CHEESE"

[Citizen X]

+Cabot Cheddar

[Shirley Knott]

Eat Velveeta!

[Zeb]

Check out Grafton Village cheddar before you bash Vermont cheese.

[sarcasmic]

Certainly, it's wrong to teach students that they have no right to complain about state-imposed restrictions on their speech rights.

How are they going to learn to accept state-imposed restrictions on the speech rights if they are allowed to complain about it?

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

This vile young woman and her supporters must think these athletic games are meant to be fun. Blech!

[kinnath]

It is never too soon for children to learn that government is violence -- "Fuck You That's Why".

[QuadGunner]

This ^

[Sevo]

Do we have a new standard in "Double Down"?
Not only does the Gestapo outlaw normal speech, but then suspends someone for laughing at them.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Penn State asks students to report microaggressions to administrators

The public university is in the midst of a massive campaign that encourages students not only to watch what they say, lest they offend someone, but also to report any and all biased statements to campus officials.

"There is no place for hate, overt or subtle, at Penn State ? such actions do not represent our mutually held values," Eric Barron, president of Penn State, stated in a recent message to the campus community.

And here is the kicker...they are going to try to use the first amendment to justify it:

Powers said the bias reporting acts as a catharsis of sorts for students, acknowledging the public university has no right to hinder students' First Amendment rights.

"Penn State stands firmly behind free speech and free expression, even in those instances when the views being expressed are disturbing or insulting, or the actions hurtful," Powers told The College Fix. "The First Amendment doesn't just apply to those who express ideas with which we agree. It also applies to those whose ideas we may find challenging, repugnant or even appalling. By providing an outlet for individuals to report bias they have seen or experienced, we are giving them an equal right to express their thoughts and feelings on the matter."

What happens to those reported, I wonder?

[Illocust]

I'd say people should abuse the system until they are forced to shut it down, but these guys have no principles. Anyone using it for anything but bitching about white male privilege would end up fucked over somehow.

[R C Dean]

That would be my plan. Fucking bury these people in micro-complaints.

Vast swathes, I am sure, of the curriculum and activities are micro-aggressions against white males, by design, so I wouldn't even have to break a sweat.

[Clich? Bandit]

Write a script to pick out words in course and administration emails...i could have fun with this.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It's teaching students the circlejerkedness of the bureaucracy. The only thing of use students could take away from it.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

This is secretly a contest to see who can come up with the best Paterno/Sandusky joke.

An older woman who goes after young men is a cougar. An older man who goes after young boys is a Nittany Lion.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how old is Sandusky's boyfriend?

[wareagle]

What happens to those reported, I wonder?

George Orwell had a book on that. The only difference is that the reporting began with children much younger than those of college age.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

What happens to those reported, I wonder?

Maybe they get first amendment'd.

[Illocust]

Grievance study adjunct has a class full of special snowflakes campaign to put her on tenure track. She was completely taken by surprise when they decided to do this all on their own, for realzys guys.

Seriously, I'd drop her ass so fast if I was running this school. No way in hell keeping someone around that organizes the freshman into sending you letters will end well.

http://www.slate.com/articles/.....burger_bar

[RBS]

Those poor adjuncts, unknowingly entering into short term contracts.

[B.P.]

Hopefully the "Eat shit WIAA" chant will sweep through high school gyms all over Wisconsin.

[WTF]

"Hey, WIAA
How many kids did you fuck today?"

[Fist of Etiquette]

Soave poaching from Oliver without credit. If fellow contributors can't get a tip of the hat, how can you idiot commenters who care enough to post links hope to get one?

As for the "take care of it" marching orders, the WIAA claims it didn't say any such thing to the school district.

[Illocust]

I'm not posting links for a hat tip. I'm posting links to hear what ya'll have to say about it.

[Swiss Servator]

VIRTUE SIGNALLING!!!!!!

[Citizen X]

If lower-status contributing males don't want their statuses poached by Robby, they'll need to step up their mane game.

[Anomalous]

Hey, you suck!

[DK]

"EAT SHIT WIAA" is clearly an acronym.

End Aggression Talk. Support His/Her Intramural Teams. Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Apropos of nothing, I notice our economic recover seems to be in a "pause".

[Je suis Woodchipper]

you need to adjust your ground sensor data.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

As it approaches the 8 yr mark, I believe 'hiatus' or possibly 'ice age' might be more appropriate?

[Hank Phillips]

All the other economies have already crashed from asset-forfeiture and prohibition laws exported to them from These States. There's no one else to sell short. Equality is a lot like entropy that way...

[Granny Weatherwax]

What's this playing sports is a privilege shit? It's a Ninth amendment right!

[Clich? Bandit]

AU is in DC.

[R C Dean]

According to Jill Gehl, that school policy includes a section on inappropriate language, which her daughter was ultimately punished for.

I can see a policy on inappropriate language spoken (or, I suppose, publicly displayed) within the 4 walls of the school.

But a tweeter isn't that. I'd sue the fuckers if I were her family, for violating her civil rights. Damages? Why, she's a teenage girl. Her emotional suffering from public humiliation, etc. is incalculable, but we'll settle for $10mm in small unmarked bills.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Not going to happen. Precedent set in Doninger v. Niehoff states that social media posts that lead to "disruption" of school activities aren't protected by the 1st Amendment. The disruption in Doninger v. Niehoff? The principal had to miss a scheduled meeting to deal with the blog post.

Yeah....

[Clich? Bandit]

* cocks hammer

So, what you're sayin' is we are already fucked?

* gently places barrel into mouth....

[Ron]

be carefull what you say on line you may be denied the next time you go to buy a gun because of that statement. See they already have us in their grip.

[Hank Phillips]

Whaddaya mean "us," paleface?

* moves away from him on the Group W bench...

[ant1sthenes]

You're pointing it away from the direction of the problem.

[coloraDOOM]

This is hell. I'm in hell

[Heroic Mulatto]

It's even worse than you think:

The Second Circuit noted that a showing of actual disruption is not required by Tinker; rather the question is whether school officials "might reasonably portend disruption from the student expression at issue."

[Clich? Bandit]

Some wiggle room?

though the Court hastened to add that "[n]one of this is to say that school officials have completely unfettered discretion to disqualify students from participating in extracurricular activities. [However,] [t]his Court is not faced with a case where a student was denied the right to run for student office because of the color of her skin, or her religion or even her politics." Id. at 215.

[Clich? Bandit]

politics?

[Heroic Mulatto]

Welp, *spits in spittoon* that's a loophole in need a'closin'.

[Ron]

the school should have no control over what a person says outside of school. i hope someone helps her and sues that school.

[Hank Phillips]

Background checks for reporters: "That aside, this kind of law would be completely unworkable." Reminds me of the Bard's comment that "Communism, like any other revealed religion, is largely made up of prophecies."
Hillary prophesied that hemp re-legalization "would never work." This amounted to daring youngsters to vote Libertarian, and look what it did to her campaign.
Friends, it's a movement! The Profits, not Prophets movement is the Libertarian Party and all you gotta do to join is vote--with feeling! Gimme a "V," gimme an "O," gimme a "T," gimme an "E..."