This is hard to believe! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/...r-sexual-harassment_n_1129683.html?1323107604
While I agree that calling a teacher "cute" may be pushing it, I would say it depended on his attitude while he said it. And yes, I know some 9yo's who would say it in a way that would be sexual harassment. Not saying they wouldn't be put up to it by an older student, but.... My dh wrote someone a young lady for sexual harassment the other day. She was an 8th grader. He told her to do something. She turned her back, bent over, grabbed both cheeks of her rear with each hand, squeezed and wriggled her butt at him. There was another 8th grade girl who grabbed a male teacher's rear and squeezed. When this is "typical" behavior in the middle school, is it any wonder that I don't throw out the charges against a 9yo?
I'm skeptical on this one. Another article I read on this had the school stating that he was suspended for comments and behaviors. The school wasn't allowed to elaborate, but the fact they pluralized "comments" and also had "behaviors" makes me think that there's more to what this boy did than just tell a friend he thought his teacher was "cute." I suspect this boy said and did a lot more than just that.
Even if he did say a lot more than that, he could be suspended for unruly behavior or some such thing...."sexual harrassment" is a pretty big word, imo.
Sometimes you must use pretty big words to get someone's attention. Again, there's so much more here that we don't know. It may be totally blown out of proportion, or it could be a much-needed punishment.
I just think it's a bit much for talking behind your teacher's back. That means that if my boys are someday teens and see a cute girl in the mall, and they say to each other "wow, she's hot!", they could be charged with sexual harrassment?? I understand that a cute girl in the mall is different than the teacher you see every day, but still, the principle is the same, is it not? They're talking about her behind her back, and while not commendable, how is it harrassing her?
Very few of you guys have any contact with public schools and public school children. That's not a criticism at all, but it's still a fact. You know what it was like when you were in public school. But things have gotten so much worse, and some schools are worse than others. WE WERE NOT THERE!!! WE DO NOT KNOW ALL THE FACTS!!! And guess what...the media reports it in a way to make the biggest headlines. The fact is many of the schools are totally out of control. This may be one. This boy may have been just being a silly boy, or he it may have been something on-going. WE DON'T KNOW!!! We have no right to sit in judgement of the people who WERE there. Let me ask you this. When I was a sub, I wrote a high school kid up for some reason. He looked me straight in the eye and told me that, if I turned in that slip, he'd meet me after school in the parking lot. I promptly filled out another slip for threatening a teacher, he wasn't waiting for me, and I assume he was suspended three days. That was thirty years ago. What if something like that were to happen again today? But instead of saying it to my face, he says it behind my back to his friend, someone overhears it and reports it. Is it any less threatening? Is it just talk, or is he serious? I understand the kid is nine years old. But I've seen some pretty sophisticated 9yo's. At what age do you make that distinction? Perhaps we need to not have blanket rules and deal with each case individually.
