1 st grader suspended for sexual harassment

[pritchke]

Gesh!! Now kids, toddlers are getting suspended for kissing the opposite sex. Don't they know that is a good thing. This is just to much.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNew...433623-ap.html

[ 02-09-2006, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

[johnny]

It feels like i actually became a little dumber just now, by reading this article.

[robertthebard]

I found it irritating, to say the least. I seem to recall a lot of pinching between kids in the 1st/2nd grade, but that was many moons ago, so I could be mistaken.

[True_Moose]

We should definitely be worried about that in elementary schools...

[Larry_OHF]

The reason for the need to change his behavior is understandable...the way they did it was wrong. Three days out of school was not the proper "time-out" that the school should have chose. Those days are probably not "aversive" to him...they are probably considered a reward contingency. They should have instead introduced some aversive condition immediately following the behavior that did not take him out of the classroom setting. My Behavior Psychology professor will have a fit when I tell her what these teachers did to correct the behavior. She hates stupid people like those at that school.

By the way, I say that some sort of response to decrease his behavior was understandable to me because I do not know many parents who care to have their children kissed, groped, or anything like that even from other children that do not understand what they are doing. It is still a violation to the one being "harrassed". My five-year old daughter was really mad when a six year old boy kissed her, and she hit him in the mouth with a fist that any father would be proud of to see his daughter form.

[Bungleau]

to Larry. Yep, sometimes ya just gotta let 'em have it.

Had a conversation with my kids tonight about the proper way to make a fist -- *NOT* putting your thumb inside your fingers. My wife popped in with "But we don't hit anyone, do we?". Didn't quite know how to say "Unless it needs doing, dear...". Reminded me of Roadhouse, with Swayze telling the bouncers that they need to be nice until it's time not to be nice... and he'll tell 'em when that is.

As for the topic of the thread... every so often, people do really stupid things. This would be one of them. Unfortunately, no one in the school will probably have the nads to stand up and admit their actions were ridiculous.

In third grade, my daughter and her friends pop into spontaneous hugs. No big deal. They also goof around and do things to embarrass each other sometimes. We've had one boy who apparently kissed one of the girls. Nothing big about it (although her mother was getting a little perturbed... but since she runs a social work agency, her view of life may be a bit darker than most). Over and done. I'm not sure what was done by the school, but it didn't involve suspensions or the like.

I was just thinking... I'd train my daughter to use what she learned in kiddie self-defense class two years ago, but odds are pretty good that after she popped him one, she'd be the first one down there going "Are you alright? I'm sorry..."

And on the other hand, I have to explain to my mother why my kids don't "owe" her a hug and kiss when she comes over. She can ask, but they don't *have* to. She thinks I'm nuts...

[Sir Degrader]

"The connotation is you’re getting some kind of sexual gratification, or wanting sexual gratification, or are putting pressure on for some kind of sexual gratification, when a 6-year-old doesn’t have that capacity"

NO! It was still rape damnit!

[VulcanRider]

Boy Accused of Sex Harassment Gets Apology

A 6-year-old boy who was suspended after being accused of sexually harassing a classmate transferred to a new school Friday after officials apologized to his parents.

Officials at Downey Elementary School apologized at a meeting Thursday, said the boy's mother, Berthena Dorinvil.

"They said they learned a lesson, and they said they will go over the rules to change things," she said.

The boy was suspended Jan. 30 for three days after school officials said he put his fingers under a female student's waistband.

Dorinvil had called the suspension outrageous and said she couldn't even explain the accusation to her son because of his age.

Brockton schools define sexual harassment among students, in part, as "uninvited physical contact such as touching, hugging, patting or pinching."

School officials had refused to transfer the boy, so the parents enlisted the help of an educational advocate.

"I'm pleased that a resolution was arrived at mutually," Superintendent Basan N. Nembirkow.

Uh, what mutual resolution? School officials didn't even want to cooperate with the transfer...

[Thoran]

I'm not the litigeous sort (hell I don't even know if I spelled it right), but if I were the boys parents in that case I'd definitely be suing the school. The only one's needing to be taught a lesson in this instance are the school officials responsible for this reprehensible behavior. A forced apology is IMO not sufficient a deterrent for other overzealous school districts, some serious 'behavior modification' is in order.

Hopefully the parents shielded the poor boy from this fiasco. An offense that should have resulted in a 10 minute stint in the corner with the dunce hat on results in national publicity... it's just another indicator of the 'quality' of public education today.

[Aerich]

Suing isn't the right answer, either. Assuming from your second paragraph that you believe it is unhealthy for the boy to get national publicity, think what a lawsuit would do - especially if he was called to testify.