Since I posted, more information has been made available about the hazing incident in Northbrook. I've seen footage of it on the TV, and listened to commentary on the radio.
It seems the girls organized this activity on their own, without the sanction of the school. It took place off the school grounds, and <u>legally</u> is not the school's responsibility. At one time, this type of activity was allowed, but the school ended the practice when it became too rough.
The senior girls ordered yellow sweatshirts for themselves, and white ones for the juniors, and then invited the juniors to participate at a cost of $35-40. The principal wondered why anyone would accept an invitation to be hazed. I wonder why they stayed and put up with it when it got bad.
The juniors were huddled on the ground , surrounded by a circle of seniors, being smeared with all sorts of offensive things, and struck. Several people video taped the entire episode!
The best of the comments that I have heard so far have to do with responsibility. The KIDS should be held responsible for their actions , and so should their parents, since the girls are still minors.
The school had both the students and their parents sign a code of behavior at the start of the school year that would preclude behavior like this. While the senior girls will not be suspended, they have been banned from extracurricular activities. I bet the next howl we will hear will be from the parents of the girls who will not be allowed to go to prom!
A more militant opinion was that the police should have been called, and this should have been pursued legally. It would surely give other students pause for thought.
I don't know yet how aggressively I'd pursue this. We need to work with younger children to instill respect for their classmates, rather than putting out fires in high school. And I STILL think hazing should be banned!
Comments (6)
I don't know about there, but here prom is over and less than 2 weeks till the end of school...so how much of a 'punishment' is this?
Posted by Redeagle | May 8, 2003 10:29 PM
Posted on May 8, 2003 22:29
You have a point, T. They timed this pretty well. We frequently have proms about this time of year, here, but I'm not sure about this school. Since I haven't heard anything about prom....theirs is most likely over.
Posted by Buffy | May 9, 2003 4:47 PM
Posted on May 9, 2003 16:47
I was so shocked at a comment made by a really cute girl when she said "What's the big deal, no one is dead......" and TV no less. So what are they going to do, just slide it under the rug? I sure hope not. I don't think you want to hear what I think they should do, but they should do something to discourage this kind of action.
Posted by QT | May 10, 2003 6:12 PM
Posted on May 10, 2003 18:12
QT...more and more I'm leaning toward taking this into the legal arena, but while that might address the problem of the parents providing alcohol, I doubt that it will touch the girls who instigated this. As you pointed out, they fail to see what's wrong with what they did, and it's obvious they timed it so that the school couldn't do much to them. As you said, they'll probably sweep it under the rug, and nothing will be done to prevent it from happening again.
Posted by Buffy | May 11, 2003 12:44 AM
Posted on May 11, 2003 00:44
Those people that were involved in that incedent, should be punished way more then not being able to go to prom!
Posted by Arizona | May 20, 2003 8:53 PM
Posted on May 20, 2003 20:53
Well, I'm happy to be able to tell you that they ARE going to be punished more severely. 32 kids have been expelled from school. Several of them have taken the matter to court, where the cases are now being heard. The school district offered them a deal. The kids would still be expelled, but they would be allowed to graduate with their class, taking the grades they had earned up to the hazing, and they would sign a pledge not to sign any book or movie deals. Two adults are being charged today for contributing to the delinquency of minors for providing beer for the day. And several of the kids have been charged with battery. Thanks for coming to read, Arizona.
Posted by Buffy | May 21, 2003 7:19 PM
Posted on May 21, 2003 19:19