Girl Suspended for Videotaping fight After School off campus was this right?

[hawiovi]

A couple of days ago here in Spokane are a 12 year old girl was suspended from school after she and other girls went home from school then several met in an alley where two girls had a fight off school grounds and after school hours. The 12 year old girl used her cellphone to videotape the fight and send it out to others. All this occured away from school and after hours, but the school she attended when learning of it the next day suspended the girl for videotaping the girl fight even though it was after school hours and off school grounds. The parents said the school has gone to far and overstepped bounds and it is not right. Where does the school jurisdication start and stop and do you think this girl should have been suspended from school for something that didn't occur during school time or on school property?

[voliny13]

Hi Celanith, I believe the school did the right thing, and I presume the fighters were suspended also. I think it would work the same as workers compensation does, and that covers going to and from work.

[gowan]

No the fighters did not get suspended, just the girl who videotaped. The school officials did say that they did not feel parents should let kids have cell phones at school and to leave them home. I do think it was wrong that the other girls who were fighting should have been suspended as well. The problem with the going to and from school was the girls all went home first to change clothes and then went back to the pre-arranged fight location. So this was after school hours and after they had gone home already. The school should have no jurisdiction once the kids have gone home. No matter if the arranged it at school. I know that there is laws that the school is responsible for kids and behavior from the time they leave home to go to school and until they are once again at home. But after that they have no say. I don't think the girls should have been fighting but I think the school should have suspended all the students involved and that because it was after school hours, off campus and after the girls went home the school was out of line.

[menw]

No the fighters did not get suspended, just the girl who videotaped. The school officials did say that they did not feel parents should let kids have cell phones at school and to leave them home. I do think it was wrong that the other girls who were fighting should have been suspended as well. The problem with the going to and from school was the girls all went home first to change clothes and then went back to the pre-arranged fight location. So this was after school hours and after they had gone home already. The school should have no jurisdiction once the kids have gone home. No matter if the arranged it at school. I know that there is laws that the school is responsible for kids and behavior from the time they leave home to go to school and until they are once again at home. But after that they have no say. I don't think the girls should have been fighting but I think the school should have suspended all the students involved and that because it was after school hours, off campus and after the girls went home the school was out of line.

Hello Celanith, I didn't realize the students had gone and changed, and in my opinion this changes everything. It had nothing to do with the school. In addition, I believe they were wrong just to suspend the one who filmed the fight.

[danil70]

Hi celanith. this is a very good question. I would find myself in a dilemma. On one side she only videotaped a fight and distributed it, the fight occurred after school hours an off premises. However what she did is gross and I think that society needs to give her a lesson. What she did is wrong and should not have been done! A similar story happened in my country a few months ago. Five guys used to taunt a "weak" student on a daily basis. They videotaped this guy, some punching him some taunting him. This ended on YouTube. The five guys were suspended from college and the case ended up in court. I think that these kind of students should be given a lesson that what they did is wrong VERY WRONG. This kind of behaviour is not acceptable.

[shashank]

The problem I have with the school is she was not the only student involved and the fighting girls and other spectators did not get suspended. Further more even though it was wrong it was not the school officials call because it was off campus and after hours and after they girls had gone home. They should all have been suspended. Not just the one girl. Also the parents are right it was their time with the kids not the schools. Both parents work so they could not be home, they should have been consulted first. We have a society today that is just not there for kids due to the need for parents who work. One parent needs to be home with the children after school or have them go to a home there is a responsible adult. The girl did say she was wrong and should not have done what she did but felt it unfair only she was suspended. Her parents plan on suing. As they feel she was singled out when she was only a spectator with a camera.

[ear]

Hi Celanith, I think what she did was very wrong. She was not only a spectator but it was distributed. It's like approving of what she was seeing. I wonder why she was singled out and the others did not receive any punisment! At least those involved in he fight!

[jorian23]

I believe the school did the right thing and here's why. The girls met at school and planned this at school and therefore needed to be seperated to give the parents time to address the serious issues here. I think all the girls should have been suspended and maybe even required to go for counseling at school. If they are that violent at 12 what will they be like at 18? Evidently the girls parents are not keeping track of their activities and I lso think it's ridiculous for a 12 year old to even have a cell phone. It should be taken away from her as she doesn't seem to understand that it is not for videotaping violence and then getting props for herself by posting and sending it out. Situations like this one need to be used as a lesson for other kids that what each of them did was wrong and actionable. The more societ lets this kind of crap go on the worse things are going to get. Our prisons are already bursting at the seams with men and women who started out by doing something minor wrong and nothing was done and it snowballed. A truly sad situation overall. The parents should be ashamed of their children and likely don't want the publicity from their actions. If they had been teaching their children the proper values and behavior this wouldn't have happened. I say nip it in the bud and if that means that some kids are overly supervised, then so be it. As a child, I never would have done such a thing and I also know how harshly my parents would have addressed it if I'd been involved in any way.

[karlitis]

I agree cellphones are given to children way to early and there is not need for them to have one. But some things are not the business of the school, once a child goes home the school jurisdiction stops and these girls went home first. Even though they may have planned it at school. Plus the other girls were not suspended and the girls in the fight at least should have been. It seems more they wanted to single out the girl who did the video taping of the incident. There is more to this than what the school said. The parents said the school deliberately has singled out their daughter and think it is wrong she got punished when the others did not. I am not sure how many girls were involved but at least 4-5 or more. The school should have notified the parents however all of them and the police not taken this matter into the school officials hands because they were no longer responsible.

[ayize]

So the only one who got in trouble with the school was the one who videotaped it? I find that very interesting. There is usually alot more to a story like this then we ever find out from the news. Was she profiting in some way besides getting the props for her taping? I'd say at least that all the girls should have gotten the same punishmnt. Maybe 40 hours of community service would have given them somewhere to focus their after school energy. It's sad that it seems like it was promoted in some way by the girl doing the taping so maybe that's why she was the only one singled out. Strange. And I think the police and child authorties should have at least investigated the entire situation. Sad situation all around.