Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Several parents and students were upset Monday when Lakeview Middle School barred students from wearing T-shirts honoring a classmate who died Saturday after a long battle with cancer.
Lakeview sixth-grader Caitlyn Jackson, 12, died late Saturday at a hospital in Ann Arbor after fighting leukemia for years. Many in Lakeview had rallied around the girl over that time.
There is no advantage in shielding children from these realities.
Children around the world have a better grasp of reality, than these kids are permitted to know.
I was raised conservative and dealt with many deaths through out my growing up, and the trauma is not as devastating for me, as it is for many other people I know, whom choose to live in a bubble.
I understand that some schools have a blanket policy not to allow any shirts with messages on them so they do not have to make a decision over every different issue, seeming to play favorites one over another.
Other kids get in trouble wearing second amendment shirts as well. and that is something that should be part of the study of history and american government.
Schools unwilling to make a stand to maintain political correctness, are doing more damage then good. IMO
Well it looks like the school officials acknowledged they were wrong and learned their lesson from it. I could maybe understand the theory they were basing the ban on, if it had been at least a month or so since the student's passing, though. There is a certain point where you need to move on (and let others do the same).
I can kind of see both sides of it. For some students, wearing the t-shirt would have been a healthy and healing experience, allowing them to express a final gesture of love for this student and sadness that they are gone.
For other students who aren't as ready to handle grief and may not have yet had such a *real* experience with someone close to them and their age dying, this may be a very difficult experience for them. I think it's important to keep in mind that students at the middle school level are on a very broad range of maturity levels--even students who are the same age. You will get some who even at the age of 10 are mature and compassionate as some adults! You get others who reach age 14 and still react to things as immaturely as a 7 or 8 year old. There is just a HUGE range.
There is also a small population of students who are easily triggered by upsetting events. Sometimes this is for a special ed reason, sometimes it's a student who has had something tragic happen in their life. Some students experience "looping" thoughts that can be triggered by something most would consider innocuous. I have had a student (sp ed) who was so highly afraid of getting sick from mold that they would ask five times a class period if I thought a sheet of paper had mold on it. They would imagine they were getting all sorts of ailments whenever the subject of one came up. Other students become quietly anxious or depressed.
Although I think ultimately the students should've been allowed a special day to grieve this girl's passing, I can see how the school may have had only the best intentions at heart in making this decision.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
