The father of a Steilacoom public school student who was suspended and reprimanded for parading around in a body-length penis costume outside a school dance says his son did nothing wrong. He and the boy's mother are asking the school to apologize, and drop a reprimand against their son for "sexual harrassment." As you'll see below, KIRO-TV reports they have contacted the ACLU, as well. More here, in today's Tacoma News Tribune (free reg. may be req.):
Fourteen-year-old James Watkins says he was just trying to be funny...wearing an inflatable penis costume on school grounds. James, a Pioneer Middle School eighth-grader, donned the outfit and showed it off to teens at a Saturday night homecoming dance at Steilacoom High School on Oct. 8...."It was all in fun and games," he said. "People laughed. … These girls put their arms around me and got pictures." The laughs ended the Tuesday after the dance when James' dad, Mark Watkins, got a call from a Pioneer administrator, saying James was being suspended for three days. The "short-term suspension notice" says he received the discipline for "sexual harassment, misbehavior at school-sponsored event, disruptive conduct and dress & appearance."....he and his parents are contesting the discipline on several grounds, arguing the incident didn’t happen at Pioneer Middle School and that the event was not during school hours. They want the "sexual harassment" notation of the incident dropped from his school record and an apology...The phallic-shaped costume covered the youth from the top of his head to his ankles, with two inflatable balls near the wearer’s feet. James spent about $40 of his birthday money to buy it at Tacoma Mall the Saturday of the dance.
...Lori Watkins...and her husband say school administrators imposed too harsh a discipline on their son....."We didn't see anything wrong with it, to tell you the truth," Mark Watkins said. Though he didn't know the details of the Steilacoom case, Yelm schools Superintendent Alan Burke said he thinks nearly all middle school principals would discipline a student wearing a penis cstume at a school event......"Once you get onto campus on a school event, you're on our set of rules," Burke said. "It's inappropriate to dress in a costume like that at a school event. The kid would have been busted in our system, no ifs, ands or buts."
Sheesh, and this was in Steilacoom, a relatively genteel place. In an age of "pimp" chic, the ante gets higher daily. Private school is looking like a smarter choice every day. The parents sound like twits. Not only do they want an apology, and think their kid did nothing wrong, KIRO-TV reports they've contacted the ACLU about possible legal action. Sure. In the great nation that is America, every kid has an inalienable constitutional right to linger outside a school dance dressed as a penis. Only in Bush's fascist state would such rights be abrogated.
BTW, what store would that be at the Tacoma Mall that's selling penis costumes? Just wondering.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at October 22, 2005 11:36 AM | Email ThisJust a wild guess: Spencers.
Posted by: Nathan Azinger on October 22, 2005 12:25 PMYou know, the problem really isn't this kid; it's his parents, who apparently suffer from a stunning lack of good judgment. Kids can come up with dumb ideas, but it's the parents' job to put the brakes on things when the jr.-higher gets off-track. This kid will learn nothing from his parents, except that there apparently are no standards in life for good taste and common sense.
You are spot-on about the private-school comment, Matt. This kid would NEVER have been allowed on our campus dressed like that. Even more likely, no parents at our school would even knowingly allow their kid out of the house like that!
From what I read, it didn't appear that his parents knew about it until after it was over, so it's probably unfair to blame them. The kid also took the costume off when asked by school officials.
It was a stupid stunt, yes, but I get a bit nervous when administrators start jotting "sexual harrassment" on students' records. That sort of thing can ruin lives, and may have been out of proportion to the proverbial crime.
Posted by: Nathan Azinger on October 22, 2005 01:25 PMSo which is it? and THEY want the school to apologize? Just negotiate a deal with the school to drop the sex harrassment thing, if the parents will drop their ACLU suit. Then leave it at that.
In the bigger picture, those who defend the kid's and parent's poor judgment have failed to consider the parents of the other students at the dance. When those other parents gave their permission for the kids to attend the dance, I'm sure they assumed nothing like this would happen. I'm sure that those girls' parents did not give permission to go to a place where their daughters would end up taking pictures holding onto a penis. There is an assumption that the event would be safe and reasonably tasteful. They didn't GET that. They got something else. The district is heavy-handed about the sex harrassment charges, but right to punish him for raunchily destroying what could have a been an otherwise okay event for those kids.
Posted by: Michele on October 22, 2005 02:30 PMBravo, Steilacoom School District, for dealing with this issue as seriously as it deserves!!! Only, just don't wimp out when the heat turns up...we've seen too much of that these days.
Posted by: Mr Write on October 22, 2005 03:10 PMThis is one of the reasons that public schools don't and won't work. Everyone, unfortunately, has the right to be stupid.
Again, unfortunately, the ACLU seems determined that this right be exercised.
Posted by: South County on October 22, 2005 04:08 PMIt will be interesting to see how this turns out.
Posted by: cc on October 22, 2005 04:17 PMI almost always agree with you. But on this post, I must emphatically register my dissent.
As a matter of pop-culture knowledge, costumes are pretty much outlawed at any school these days. The kid pulled off a stupid stunt, and now he's being punished for it. End of story, right?
Not quite-- now the whole media (including bloggers like you) are going to parade this kid around as some kind of weirdo that is symptomatic of public schools. I think you'd agree that our education system has systemic problems exponentially greater than a kid wearing a ridiculous penis costume.
Call me flacid, but this kid should get a slap on the wrist, not 3 days of suspension for making a fool out of himself.
I don't understand why people are so threatened by a middle-schooler in a penis costume? Inappropriate? YES!!! Sexual harassment? Not even close...
Posted by: Patrick E. Bell on October 22, 2005 05:54 PMIt was OK up to the point where the school demanded the kid peel his, er, remove his costume. It went too far when they then imposed the suspension.
Once again, public scrools relying on zero tolerance instead of common sense.
I wonder if the kid got to practice any of his pickup lines...
Posted by: alphabet soup on October 22, 2005 07:56 PMAnd to take it this far...is almost child abuse.. They are destroying their kids future by making him the notorious *penis boy*....
Just gross!
Posted by: Deborah on October 22, 2005 08:13 PMMy 8th grade son recently received a penalty for not meeting school dress code (I warned him. wWen administrator contacted me, my response was to be in agreement with the school. Therefore, my student is receiving the same message at home and at school...he's a better person for it also.
If ACLU wants to defend the rights of a Puget Sound child, they should be talking to that 13 yr. old babysitter, where the police released the interview video. Her case was dismissed by the court, and now she is being persecuted by the MSM.
Posted by: dl on October 22, 2005 08:15 PMand--for his parents: the apple dosen't fall far from the tree, eh? what are you--Nobel prize-winners?! America insists on heading stubbornly down the toilet as the world looks on and laughs at us fools...
and the taxpayers pay for both sides of the legal fray--what a deal...this case should be "loser pays" and we will see where this "rights" agrument ends;
Posted by: Jimmie-howya-doin on October 22, 2005 08:54 PMI DO agree that the school was way out of line with suspension and claims of sexual harassment. Frankly, I'm surprised the school doesn't want to borrow this costume for their 3rd grade alternative sex ed classes......
I could only wish the public school system would practice some sexual responsibility instead of the sex-ed saturation they put these kids through from elementary school these days!
On the other hand, bringing in the ACLU is also over the top.
And honestly, we've got bigger battles to fight.
Posted by: Jeff B. on October 23, 2005 12:43 AMon Spring Break or some college campus, maybe it's not an issue; however, this act will be linked with you and your family name for some time; is that what you want to be remembered for? not me;
p.s.--in my (private school) you would have been OUT immediately--no questions asked; they didn't need you and had lots of applicants waiting to get in; it would have been a character and school image issue--don't tarnish either; and my school was around since 1867, so they had cause to speak;
Posted by: Jimmie-howya-doin on October 23, 2005 07:42 AMGood lord, whatever happened to being able to make mistakes or bad decisions? As though dressing up like a penis is the end of the world.
Get a life, you nanny-state do gooders. Why don't you "Republicans" go support the smoking ban some more.
Posted by: Aaron on October 23, 2005 09:11 AMNice Aryan name there aaron.
"You Nazi wannabes are exactly the reason I can't consider myself a Republican."
I can imagine that there aaron. Considering fascism and Nazism are leftist leaning ideologies, you probably wouldn't want to consider yourself a Republican! Would you aaron?
Then there's this part: "Get a life, you nanny-state do gooders." You're a little mixed up there aaron. It's liberals who typically (and in Washington state certainly!) are the "nanny-staters".
I don't know any Republicans who support the smoking ban. It must be that you're...
wrong again!
Posted by: alphabet soup on October 23, 2005 09:41 AMThe kid should have been suspended, sure, but there is no reason for sexual harassment to be on his record. That is potentially very damaging, and completely unsupported by the facts.
Posted by: brett on October 23, 2005 11:14 AMAs for you, Aaron, you're worse than that "headless lucy" character that used to post on SP! Republicans=Nanny State?! That is the biggest misstatement I've ever heard! As for the smoking ban, if you did any research you'd know that it was the liberals that were behind Initiative 901 (smoking ban).
Posted by: Mark Griswold on October 23, 2005 12:50 PMWell, boys, mayhaps you should go back in the archives and read who was supporting the smoking ban and stated they would vote for it - hint: a lot of folks who post here argued for it....
alpha, as for the Aryan comment or whatev, my real name is Aaron. I compared the puritcanal knee-jerk reaction prevalent on this board to Nazism because that's basically what it is - I don't think that's right, so suspend that stupid kid and his freedom of speech be DAMNED! I mean, everyone else here agrees, right?!
go too far left and you have communism. too far right and you have Nazism. They are both basically extreme ends of the political spectrum and I think most of the reactions here lean right.
The short answer to the whole damn mess is that the principal says take it off and the kid does. The principal informs the parents, who say wow that was stupid. END OF STORY.
Posted by: Aaron on October 23, 2005 01:02 PMHas anyone involved in the Vagina Chronicles ever been charge with sexual harrassment?
They should leave the kid alone.
Posted by: BananaLand(aka Iguana) on October 23, 2005 03:11 PMBoth of your wild-eyed extremisms come from your side of the fence!
If you could read, you would have seen that my position on Boner-boy is roughly the same as yours, you bozo!
But you are the last one on this site who says when it is "END OF STORY"!
okay, whatever, alpha.
(just a hint though concerning your use of Aryan, alph:
Gender: Boy
Pronunciation: AIR-an
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: "Mountain of strength."
Notes: From the Hebrew "har-on", or possibly of Egyptian origin. Biblical: Moses' brother Aaron was the first high priest of Israel. U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr; baseball star Hank Aaron; composer Aaron Copland; actor Aaron Eckhart.)
Also, you may want to look a little deeper into the definition of Nazism before you start claiming it's a leftist ideology. Here's a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism .
Posted by: Aaron on October 23, 2005 07:38 PMFrom your precious wiki:
"Nazism was the ideology held by the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, commonly called NSDAP or the Nazi Party), which was led by its "Führer", Adolf Hitler. The word Nazism is most often used in connection with the dictatorship of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 (the "Third Reich"), and it is derived from the term National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus, often abbreviated NS). Adherents of Nazism held that the Aryan race were superior to other races, and they promoted Germanic racial supremacy and a strong, centrally governed state. Nazism has been outlawed in modern Germany, yet small remnants and revivalists, known as "Neo-Nazis", continue to operate in Germany and abroad.
Originally, Nazi was invented by analogy to Sozi (a common and slightly pejorative term for the Nazis' main opponents, the socialists in Germany). The Nazis from the era of the Third Reich rarely referred to themselves as "Nazis", preferring the official term "National Socialists" instead. Nazi was most commonly used as a pejorative term; however, its use became so widespread that, currently, some Neo-Nazis also use it to describe themselves.
There is a very close relationship between Nazism and Fascism. Since the term Nazism is normally used to refer to the ideology and policies of Nazi Germany alone, while Fascism is used in a broader sense, to refer to a wider political movement that exists or existed in many countries, Nazism is often classified as a particular version of Fascism."
Thank you for admitting your extremism!
Posted by: alphabet soup on October 23, 2005 08:16 PMAaron is a Hebrew name. If I were a nazi, why would I be posting with a Jewish name? Also, where in your posted reference does it say anything about leftist leaning ideology except the use of the word "socialist" in the Nazi official title? Did you miss the part where they were anti communist and anti Bolshevik?
Maybe if you posted your real e-mail we could start a debate on this, but you go ahead and cower behind your anonymity.
Posted by: Aaron on October 23, 2005 10:52 PMMeans nothing, aryan......
Posted by: alphabet soup on October 23, 2005 11:47 PMHis intentions, and ultimate achievement, was to nationalize most nearly every aspect of German life, up to and including their religion.
Tell me how on earth this sounds like right-wing anything! This was purely socialist/communist social engineering - just without the "sanction" of the currently organized parties.
The only point that aaron had (besides the one on the top of his head), was that of knee-jerk hatred and insult of conservatives. He blundered in and immediately started spouting stupidities. It was in that vein that I made mention of his name and the association to Aryans. Yes, I know that the name has its roots in Hebraic history. The fact that there are a boatload of Nazi's named Aaron running around doesn't mean that everyone named aaron is a Nazi went over his head (even the point!).
You are welcome to do as you wish. Same for aryan. I'll let you know if I see anyone resort to hyperbole. I certainly did not!
Posted by: alphabet soup on October 24, 2005 12:00 PMStart with a penis boy and end up with a history lesson on nazi liberalism....heh....it just seems to fit!
By the way....my name *Deborah* is Hebrew - but I'm sure many races, cultures and religions use it! Let's not forget that Hitler and his followers practiced a pseudo-Christianity...
The names *Aaron* and *Deborah* would be found in their bibles..... Not exclusive to the Jews...
I've wondered how Hitler got around the old testament/Torah relation.....? I guess that's when he went new age....
Wrong.
Read history and study political systems. Nazism is clearly and indisputably a leftist entity and “[m]ost historians (regardless of political viewpoint),”not merely half-assed liberal history professors, are not foolish enough to assert otherwise. You have surrendered to liberal bull$hit.
Hitler’s extreme hate and antithesis against Communism, was not against Communism itself, but competition from what he considered racially defective "Bolsheviks." Little hint: Stalin had stuff Hitler wanted. National Socialism (Nazism) under Hitler was as leftist a form of centralized statist communism as can ever be imagined in history. It was characterized by a radical socialist-communist centralized government much like that of the contemporary Italy of Nazism's origin. Name any example of a government that incorporates similar ideals from the extreme right. What descent of monarchic inheritor ship of power did Hitler anticipate?
Silly a$$ed liberal re-inventions (dipi-wiki denotations au consensus) aside, I am surprised at your assertions. Study-up or shut up until you do; you embarrass yourself through inapt affectations of intellectual honesty in service to racist liberal witlings like Aryan.