[fluff]

As Loopie was asking for stuff from overseas..

Detention for not fighting

So this is a story about a kid who got detention for not trying to prevent a fight and perhaps for even inciting the fight and blocking staff access to break it up. So everyone, the kids fighting and those watching got the same punishment.

Sounds fair to me but it seems many are up in arms about it.

What do you think?

 

[LordOpie]

I'm good with the voyeurs getting a detention too. I remember plenty of fights in school where one or both kids didn't want to fight, but the circle of kids forced them to. If a kid tried to leave the ring, they'd push him back in. Just about every fight I got into was with a friend. We'd argue about something and the next thing I knew, we were encircled. Neither of us wanted to fight, so I'd challenge the fvckers standing in a circle to enter and fight me. It's easy to act tough when you're part of the circle. So I'm in agreeance with the school.

There's something wrong with the article. It's too vague about too many things that leads me to believe there's more to the story. The strangest part is...

"Two boys were involved in a fight which was exacerbated by the presence of a large crowd of boys who circled the incident and prevented staff from intervening.

How?

If by just standing there, then this is a case where schools should be allowed to manhandle students. If the staff is not allowed to grab a kid by the arm and pull him aside, then they should be allowed to. Not being allowed to touch a student at all gives the kids way too much power.

 

[D_D]

Originally posted by LordOpie
If by just standing there, then this is a case where schools should be allowed to manhandle students. If the staff is not allowed to grab a kid by the arm and pull him aside, then they should be allowed to. Not being allowed to touch a student at all gives the kids way too much power.

I suspect the kids where just making a circle around the fighting pair. The teacher then decided all the kids involved were going to be punished then made up the reasons for the punishment afterwards.

I think it's a bit over the top to punish the kids watching unless there is a problem with fighting at the school. In my experiance punishing a large group isn't much of a deterent or a punishment anyway.

I can't say it's a good thing for a school to encourage kids to try to break up a fight either.

 

[Tenchiro]

From what I hear, alot of US public schools have a policy that everyone involved gets the same punishment no matter thatir role. So the instigator and the victim are both punished for fighting, as are people that try to step in and stop it. I don't know about bystanders though. I must know at least half a dozen teachers though, I will ask around.

 

[LordOpie]

Originally posted by D_D
I can't say it's a good thing for a school to encourage kids to try to break up a fight either.

I totally agree. That's how situations escalate.

I still agree with spectators getting punished.

 

[fluff]

Originally posted by D_D
I suspect the kids where just making a circle around the fighting pair. The teacher then decided all the kids involved were going to be punished then made up the reasons for the punishment afterwards.

I think it's a damn good idea to discourage kids from circiling around to watch a fight. Do you think it did anything other than make the fight more likely?

Originally posted by D_D

I think it's a bit over the top to punish the kids watching unless there is a problem with fighting at the school. In my experiance punishing a large group isn't much of a deterent or a punishment anyway.

Well, strictly speaking any fighting is a problem and they are punishing individuals. If they punished all the kids in a set group regardless of whether they were watching the fight or not I'd agree with you, but that's not what they've done. The have punished all of the kids and only the kids who were watching. Fair enough really.

Originally posted by D_D

I can't say it's a good thing for a school to encourage kids to try to break up a fight either.

Agreed. They should encourage the kids to get a teacher, not to break the fight up on their own.

 

[RhinofromWA]

Back in my day (flash back wiggly lines)

We had a few fights at the start of the year.....one I saw wasn't really a fight. Kid must have been mad at something else....I was alking down the hall and this kid punch another kid in the face (I didn't see any interaction up to the punch) The kid spun around and his nose emptied blood all over the lockers (It exploded I tell you) and he slid to his knees hands and face against the blood splattered lockers

I couldn't have written it better for a movie if I tried.

Next was a cafeteria clearing, run to the parking lot, fight between two kids. half the school was aroud the two guys and it was over well before any falcuty could get there.

There were a couple others. No weapons were ever involved nor did they last long (usually it was one punch=over, or it was a wrestling match for 15 seconds)

The school implemented a new rule that if you fight nomatter who starts it you are expelled. It took one more fight to test the rules.....and the following expulsions to stop the fighting. They just went off school grounds but there wasn't nearly as many fights after that, all through high school.

Don't know how they can enforce who was watching ...... everyone disburses faster than they show up.