Dad calls from Iraq, son gets suspended

Momma10318 as a teacher, I'm surprised your reading comprehension skills are so poor. The call did not come during class, but as the student was walking out of the classroom at the end of class. The call did not distrupt anything other the arrogance of a teacher who like you, probably can't read and comprehend what she read either. Even if that call came in the middle of class.. so be it.

When a parent is in a war zone, where his or her life is in danger and he or she could die any moment in a bombing, or an ambush..

A two minute phone call isn't going to ruin your day. Missing that call could ruin a childs day if the worse was to happen and they see they'd missed the call and then there's a knock at the door and notification that their Mother or Father has died in Iraq.

The staff at this school are reprehensible and their actions are inexcusable. They should be fired. Our children need intelligent adults as their teachers. Not insensitive, arrogant morons.

But in the article it said the boy was on his way out of class. So how did he disrupt the classroom?

I agree with you all but the part about firing the administrator. I think he should be reprimanded for giving permission and not following through with it. Maybe he had no authority to give permission in the first place. This family should go to the school board or go as far as necessary to get it removed from his record. I'm a teacher too and realize that it can be disruptive with the cell phones and text messaging but this is an exceptional case. The rules are so rigid because they catch flack from parents for any kind of discipline that they try to with hold. Shame on them for not standing up for this boy's right to speak to his father. I don't think they should have cell phones in school at all. They are able to put them on silence and get the messages after school. In this case the boy had every right to speak to his father.

Jon, I am almost speechless at your rigid, unbending attitude. There is nothing more important than family. When a family member is in an extreme circumstance, it's incomprehensible that a student would be punished for taking the call.

tex Mail is not like hearing his dads voice .The voice is a personal contact to his child ,but I do have to agree that if that is the only way to get anything from his dad then do so .I would just bet you that the teacher is anti war and anti everything .If I had been the teacher I would have put my job on the line for that child to speak to his dad and had the complete class stand up and Applauded the child dad for his protecting us and others .

Texting is not the same as hearing your loved one's voice. Try being apart from your loved one for months or years at at time. My husband was gone for almost 2 years over in Iraq, I got to see him for a whole 2 weeks during that time. Oh wow I got a text yeah right, hearing a voice is a heck of a lot better.

Your a dumb ass.

Jon, , as a 35yo Child of WW2 vets, That's just a totally ignorant thing to say. If I had a relative in a warzone, , and they texted me b/c they knew I wasn't "allowed" to take calls, and they were killed before I got to answer or speak with them again, I'd be furious. So Furious, I think I would most assuredly go into the school with intent, aimed at the administration.

Surely the generalized use of phones and text during schools should not be permitted, but in my opinion, there should be a standing exception to that policy regarding Military Personnel in theater, and Medical/Death Emergency Notification. And if a parent sees fit to interrupt a child's learning for something they see as important, even if it's "I'll be late, wait for me" then it's the parent's right to do so . and it's most definitely not the school's right to take away.

Whether the call came during or after class is not stated, they kid did leave the class, though, to minimize the disruption obviously and perhaps for a little privacy. that in itself shows good judgement, far better then even most adults have. there have been numerous reports published this week, that all sorts of insider and confidential information is discussed openly in public on cell phones, for anyone to overhear. or even just to be annoyed by.

If I were the teacher of a student who received a call from an active military person, I would ask them not to hang up, and when they were done to come back and put mom/dad on speaker so we could express our thanks and best wishes.

disruptive my a$$. AND just what does the school think is more disruptive ? a few badly timed phone calls from military personnel , or the uproar from this student, his friends, his family, the military in the area, and the public at large?

Would they have done the same if a parent had called from inside WTC on 9/11 during the chaos? probably. thoughtless and impersonal imposition of impartial law. even the courts system has discretionary powers , to be meted out by the judge, under "guilty, with an explanation" pleas. Like breaking the speed limit to get to the Emergency Room.

The father is very limited to when he can call and I think if a child can only speak to his father once a week or even less, he should be able to speak to him, he shouldn't have to text. Hearing his father's voice would be very important and reassuring.