gren

Father sues IMSA after son, 17, expelled for repeatedly cheating :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State


This is just an example of what's happening in our society today...kids are being coddled by their parents, being shown that there are no consequences for their actions as long as they can bring litigation against someone else, and that breaking the rules is okay as long as you can "justify" it.

What really pissed me off about this particular situation is that the student was cited not once, but THREE times for "academic dishonesty", yet his father has the gall to sue the school for treating him unfairly. If it were a first offense I might be able to see it from the father's point of view--it could have been an honest mistake, and first time offenses don't generally get very harsh punishments. But after the third time of the student being cited for the same offense, I really can't believe that his father is blaming the school for being too harsh. Not to mention that the student took a "stress day"...WHAT? I don't get to take days of of work when I have things due (and believe me, I am highly stressed at work), but this kid sees nothing wrong with not coming into school when he's got a deadline to meet, presumably one he knew about well in advance? And for what amounts to him not feeling like going to school that day? Is this something schools accept or is it just a terminology used for taking a day off when you don't really have to (i.e. you just call in sick or something like that).

So in addition to discussing this specific instance, my questions to you are these:

1. What will kids learn about the consequences of their actions if Mommy and Daddy are always swooping in to fix everything?
2. What will kids learn about rules, law, and order if anything can be counteracted by a lawsuit?
3. What incentive do kids today have to do the right thing if they know they won't really be punished for not doing so?

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tsurara

The United States is noutoriously lawsuit crazy. It's something that makes us look like cracked-out, paranoid wackos to the entire rest of the world.

Until the United States in general can learn to stop using excessive creative interpretation and enforcement of the law as a means of manipulation, personal profit and paranoid prevention, it will be impossible to truly gain the respect of the rest of the world, much less instill it in our children.

Lawyers have taught us that it is not our fault when we spill hot coffee on ourselves, fall on cracks in the sidewalk or swallow anti-freeze. It's not our responsibility when children die from choking, when we get fat from fast food, when we shoot up schools, or when we murder our spouses. There is always a lawsuit, a scapegoat and a spin...

If adults, politicians and coorporations can not accept responsibility for their own actions: how are we supposed to make our children responsible.

Nothing's ever "their fault"... it's always a video game, movie, toy company, car manufacturer, school official, rap star or fast food company ~making~ them do what they do.

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gren

And that's exactly the issue...we're teaching the youth of the US that any problem can be solved by a lawsuit, that nothing you do is wrong if a jury or judge sides with you...and that we as a nation are too stupid to use even the smallest increment of common sense in our every day lives, so the government has to protect us from ourselves by awarding ridiculous amounts of money to people who should have known better anyway. Are we raising a generation who is not only too irresponsible to take the blame for their own actions, but also too self-centered to see that they are to blame in the first place? Obviously this student didn't think he did anything wrong, or even if he did acknowledge that he cheated, he and his father didn't feel they were bound to IMSA's policy for dealing with cheating. What makes these people think they're above the rules of the institutions they/their children attend?

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Astaroth

Well, in my opinion I think the the school took it a little bit far by kicking out the student from the school just because he cheated.....I mean come on.......if the school took a really good look at its students and decided to kick out every person they caught cheating.....they would be left with only 1/12 of the student population.....almost every kid out there has cheated someway or somehow.....and I do not think that they need to make such a big deal out of it...I am not saying that I support cheating of any kind....but this is a little bit too extreme....they should have punished the kid by giving a 0 on the thing that he was doing...or a detention...some sort of punishment.....so he would realize that he did something wrong........but once again..some people just do not understand that concept that "well I got caught this time....so next time I will be more careful".......

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Miroku4444

Oh. the father knows his son **** up, and is bound by the IMSA's policy. He just doesn't want him expelled. He doesn't want to have to deal with him around the house. Sending him to school is way to get rid of him, and getting him out of his hair. So the lawsuit is a cheap way of trying to get out of him being expelled so he don't have to deal with his son.

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aceman67

I see this "lawsuit" happy culture everyday at work, since my job has me taking customer service calls for the company that has the worst customer service record in the states (Comcast, and no, I give wonderful customer service). I've been told several times that someone is going to "sue" Comcast, too which I mute the mic on my head set and laugh and make fun of them with the people I sit next too. The temptation to say "you're welcome to try" is just too great.

I'm glad that most cases of this nature in Canada are thrown out of court, the only time that lawsuits go through (most of the time) is when actual wrong doing has taken place.

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_gwenibe_

pathetic really, the kid has to learn that when you cheat on anything your going to get and trouble and the father has to learn that his child is not perfect and teach him some discipline. gee, if I did that at high school I would have been suspended, failed straight away and a kick up the backside once I got home XD

Really, can't wait to see what happens if he goes to Uni and/or in the real world - won't be surprised if this kid gets called up for plagiarism - what's daddy going to do then?

Seems like some western cultures are getting way to trigger happy when it comes to suing and it's pathetic really. And like what has already been said in this thread, all it's teaching children ( and some adults I would add) is that if you stuff up, you can sue. People really need to learn that they made a mistake and move on, you can't keep trying to blame other people for your problems.

As for whether he deserved to be expelled, he was caught three times, you would think a 17 year old would learn after the first time. and being in the Maths and sciences it's better that he learn early instead of halfway into that sort of career or even at Uni.

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Joe Mage

I think that this is a completely atrocious and frivolous lawsuit and the father shouldn' b allowed ta get away wit it. When I was in the 4th grade I tried cheatin' once and I got caught. They didn' go easy on me back then; I c no reason why they should make an exception for a kid who didn' cheat once, but three times. Three strikes, u're out! And I think that it's completely ridiculous that the father is allowed ta file a lawsuit ta "punish" the school system for doin' the right thing by doin' their jobs. U learn nothin' by cheatin' ur way through school.

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fireandice

The boy should stay expelled and the father should have to pay for damages to the school for trying to ruin their reputation. The boy will never learn to be a man if all he has to do is file a lawsuit everytime he gets into trouble. There is no responsibility or pride connected to cheap underhanded actions like this. If you did the crime you pay the time. It's that simple. If we actually stuck by those rules then the kids growing up today would have respect and values on things. They would take pride in what they do and not always try to find the easiest way out of things. I think the school did the right thing and I'm thrilled to see the school stand by their rules. I really hope this lawsuit gets thrown out.

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P.R. Princess

i say the father needs to realize that he is hurting his son more by doing that than helping him.

He is showing that his son can go to him whenever he needs something. IF the father keeps letting his kid get stuff even though the son is the one to blame then even when the kid is married and has money problems then kid will go right back to mommy and daddy even though he is now grown and supposed to be able to take care of his family.

Children need to realize that things get tuff and sometimes your the only one can fix it. You cant go back to mommy and daddy for everything.

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Redragon495

I really hate it when parents stick up for there kids. I never have or will ask my parents to do anything like this for me. People like this make others think that all kids(teens included) are snobs and can't handle there own problems. I still have a couple more years of being a teen and I know for a fact I will never do anything like this.

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