PD*poll: Should dad be banned from son's graduation ceremony?
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A new state law is keeping thirty-six year old James Jones from his son's high school graduation ceremony and he's not happy. "I'm always preaching education to my children. How does that make me look if I'm not there at graduation?"
In August 2006, a Missouri law went into effect that prohibits sex offenders from school property unless they have the permission of the district superintendent. The only exceptions being government meetings or polling sites. Jones was convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl when he was 17 in 1990. He served five years in prison.
Rather than deal with individual requests, Buchanan County superintendents said they will ban all sex offenders from their schools. "If I start deciding which offenders can and cannot be at school, then I become the judge. And it is not my position to judge a case. The courts have already done that," said St. Joseph School District Superintendent Melody Smith. "My job is to provide the safekeeping of 11,632 students and the people who attend our events."
"I've already been punished for this. This isn't about me anymore. Now they're punishing my kids, and that's taking it a little too far," said Jones.
While it important to keep children safe, he does have a point. If James Jones has already served his time for the initial rape and there is no signs that he is a repeat offender, the graduating class of 2008 should be fine during the ceremony even if he is in attendance, sweating in the stands with all the other parents.
What do you think?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 22)
NotAMeangirl 5-12-2008 @ 2:54PM
Ummm.... This is rediculous. He was 17 for pitty's sake. Most 17 year old have made a similar error in judgement... often without realizing it. It's just another example of how the schools are actually impeding the progress of our youth's development. Meh.
Reply
eugene 5-12-2008 @ 7:37PM
Most 17 year olds have made a similar error in judgment??? No... a 17 year old error in judgement would be something like... taking out the family car without permission. Staying up all night at a party or playing halo rather than studying for midterms, even getting pregnant because no one thought about birth control.
Raping someone is not an error in judgement.
NotAMeanGirl 5-12-2008 @ 8:06PM
Depending on the laws of the state, all he had to do was go on a DATE with her for it to be statutory rape. (He being of age and her not.) Perhaps I read it incorrectly as being statutory rather than forced sex.
Alie 5-13-2008 @ 9:57AM
"Similar error in judgement"?! WTH??
Note that the article did not say *statutory rape*, it said RAPE. The act of sexual violence against a female is a little different than an older boyfriend having sex with his younger girlfriend.
Or, hey, maybe you think rape in any classification is simply an "error in judgement"?
First and foremost, he was convicted of rape, so, no, he should not be around young women again. He is a sexual offender, period.
NotAMeanGirl 5-13-2008 @ 10:37AM
Allie... If you'll read my comment directly above yours I did clarify that I though he had been found guilty of Statutory Rape. My brain made that assumption based on their ages. I misread the article.
Considering it was rape in its truest sense, yeah, ban him. Completely. Totally. Unequivocally.
lagosz1 5-13-2008 @ 8:12PM
I don't know what 17 year olds you know but that is pretty sad and disgusting to think most of them you know have raped somebody. And to consider it an error in judgment? "Ooops I accidentally forced a 15 year old girl to have sex with me. Boy is my face red...." What kind of perverted logic is that?
Michelle 5-13-2008 @ 8:27PM
I'm sorry to hear that he can't go to his sons ceremony, but I don't feel bad for him. I don't care what age he was he was convicted for RAPE people come on! If you was 13 years old and you forced some girl into Sex, I wouldn't look at you any different as if you was a 30 year old.
If i was a parent of one of the students graduating, I would not send them to the ceremony knowing that there is a rapist sitting in the same room as him. Yeah he paid for his crime but I don't think that they just forget about having sexual relationships with teenage girl;s. What will happen if he finds hisself attracted to a girl graduating and forces her into sex or something, would you guys be okay with the fact that you let an rapist strike again.
I could never take that chance with my child. The guy should also be ashamed of hisself. He knows what he did was wrong and you have to pay for what you did, Yeah sure he went to jail but is doesn't mean that he is redeemed. I feel bad for the Son though because It must be hard having a father who is a rapist and is not making a big fuss over a law that it there to portect childern from people like him.
I really hope that it doesn't cause problems for the son in school because Kids won't be to nice to him about it!
colleen 5-13-2008 @ 8:32PM
okay, he was 17. and i may only be 14 but this girl was 15 and i can name about 3 girls in my school alone who were 15 and cried rape because they didnt want to deal with it. if this guy date raped, or forced her into sex then he deserved his 5 years, but obv hes moved on telling him he cant go to his sons graduation where hes not actually going to be anywhere near the girls he'll just be sitting on the bleachers. and honestly, the court would always believe the girl over the guy anyday and i know that sounds sexist against females but i am a girl. it was awhile ago, theres a guy who lived a house away from my school and was a third degree rapist. if thats allowed then let this guy go, its not hurting anybody.
Sarai 5-13-2008 @ 8:36PM
Uh excuse me? Error in judgement??? He's a RAPIST, that borders a little above error in judgement, that implies maybe a drunken party, or a little bit of pot, but you don't get to rape people and claim error in judgement, in my opinion he shouldn't have genitals anymore, but this is America, and we let people get away with murder.
Ron 5-13-2008 @ 8:51PM
he served 5 years and now he feels he's paid his due and is what? saintworthy? he should be banned because now matter what HIS feelings maybe, others may not feel safe.
timewarp0875 5-13-2008 @ 8:48PM
So...almost all teenage boys have raped someone...right... that makes sense. Do you hear yourself?
ashley99 5-13-2008 @ 9:01PM
It says he was convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl when he was 17 my guess is that they had sex, the girls mom or dad found out and because she was under 16 and he was over 16 he went to jail. That happens somtimes I read a case were two 12 year-olds had sex with each orther so in court they are both the victims and the sick person who had sex with minor. Last I heard they were trying to get the case thrown out of court.
Jessie 5-13-2008 @ 9:13PM
Not long ago this type of situation was discussed on television. It seems when "teens engage in sex" if the law says that the "girl(usually)" the teen male will be classified as a sex offender if the parents/guardians of the girl file charges. This means that these two can have a child together and the male teen (or father) is classified as a sex offender the rest of his life. My question is this "is it fair"? There needs to be a separation so as not to have this young man's life ruined forever. What people call rape may not always be rape. This is what we see here and I can't get with that. I am a grandmother now, and this really concerns me. When someone says sex offender, they are stigmitized for ever.
Even if these teens went to far.
Celeste 5-13-2008 @ 9:34PM
It was forcible rape not 2 kids getting it on.
Mj 5-13-2008 @ 9:29PM
So, if someone was convicted of theft and served his/her time, we should keep them away from money for the rest of their lives? Same logic..
Lydia 5-13-2008 @ 9:33PM
Um...EXCUSE ME?? This is by far the STUPIDEST remark here.MOST 17 year old do NOT go around raping girls!!! And did you even THINK that maybe it's better for the son for his dad not to be there? People are cruel and I could just SEE some people being so rude that they would be gossiping about the dad while he was there.Let the kid enjoy his graduation!
lppauling 5-13-2008 @ 9:45PM
He should be banned. He says he has paid for his crime, but what about the girl he raped? She is still paying the price of his misjudgement.
Chris 5-13-2008 @ 9:42PM
Going out on a date with somebody is not statutory rape. There would have to be sex involved for it to be statutory rape.
Simonesdad2008 5-13-2008 @ 9:55PM
If the father is 36 and his son is 18 (I assume) and the father was convicted when he was 17, does it mean he conceived the child while in prison? He was in jail for 5 years, right? The numbers don't add up or a big part of this story is missing. Is the son the result of the rape? Maybe that's why they are following the letter of the law in this particular case.
stjoeperson 5-13-2008 @ 10:19PM
Writer needs to get their facts straight. This is NOT a high school graduation. This is a middle school graduation-the kid is graduating from a middle school of grades 7 & 8, not quite the big deal as a high school graduation is.
He is graduating from Truman Middle School as an 8th grader, get your facts straight please. I think people might feel a little different if they knew it was middle school and not high school.