11-Year-Old Girl Suspended For 'Dangerous' Cartwheels At School
POSTED: 7:49 am EST November 12, 2004
UPDATED: 1:06 pm EST November 12, 2004
An 11-year-old girl in West Covina, Calif., was suspended from her school from doing "dangerous" cartwheels and hand stands during lunch time, according to a Local 6 News report.
Deirdre Faegre, who is a Student of the Month at San Jose-Edison Academy in West Covina was dismissed from the school this week after school authorities warned her for the last time to stop doing gymnastic stunts during lunchtime.
Administrators at the school said they were concerned about safety of their students.
They said gymnastics on the playground creates an unsafe situation.
"I thought they were absolutely weird, because I see other kids playing baseball and soccer and I think that's more dangerous than gymnastics," Faegre said.
Deirdre's parents are giving the school's actions a failing grade. The family says they'll continue to stand by their daughter.
"I don't think they care about the children at all," father Leland Faegre said. "What sort of a parent or administrator would ever enforce a rule that would proscribe a child from using her arms and her legs? We have got to fix this mess because we have to let children be children."
Her parents said they will home school Deirdre until they find a more "reasonable" school.
Calls to school administrators went unanswered.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2004 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Do a cartwheel.. get suspended
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SouthernWx
I saw that story on the news this morning...and IMO it's going overboard to suspend a child for that reason. It seems to me that even IF the girl was doing cartwheels in an unsafe manner (i.e.- knocking down other students)...they could find a more appropriate way to handle the situation than suspension.
When I was in school, suspensions were only used for extreme disciplinary situations....now mistakes I wrote sentences for are punished with suspension. The word is called "overkill", and such an excessive punishment for this "girl being a girl" doesn't even make sense. I don't blame the parents...I wouldn't want my child attending a school with such screwed up administrators either
When I was in school, suspensions were only used for extreme disciplinary situations....now mistakes I wrote sentences for are punished with suspension. The word is called "overkill", and such an excessive punishment for this "girl being a girl" doesn't even make sense. I don't blame the parents...I wouldn't want my child attending a school with such screwed up administrators either
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Josephine96
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mf_dolphin
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SouthernWx
To show how far down public schools have gone in this suburban Atlanta county:
Here's a true story....when I was in the 6th grade, a bully tried harrassing me. I was minding my own business, but he decided to pick on me; thumped me twice in the head....big mistake! I broke his nose....knocked him sprawling into a locker.
My punishment? Nothing...nada. I was sent by a teacher to the principals office, told him the truth...that I was only defending myself as my father had taught me too. Mr Stewart was a good man, knew I was not a troublemaker...so he didn't even punish me. I went back to class and it was never mentioned again.
If that happens today in Douglas county, even in 4th grade, the police are called automatically -- to two 10 yr old boys fighting. At the very least, I would have been taken to jail....where my parents would have had to pick me up. There's also a MANDATORY 5 day suspension for any student involved in a fight....even if the kid is defending himself from a bully.
It's ridiculous. My actions in self defense were no crime.
The bully never messed with me again, nor did he bully other kids in my presence. I was a straight-A middle school student....never a troublemaker at school; and have a clean police record, both as an adult and juvenile. If the politically correct "overkill" rules of today had existed in 1974, I would have been suspended at least a week....and possibly have a juvenile arrest record.
(And folks wonder why I so loathe what the public school system has become, and why I plead with sis every summer to either home school Maddie, Nick, and Jake....or place them in a private Christian school).
Here's a true story....when I was in the 6th grade, a bully tried harrassing me. I was minding my own business, but he decided to pick on me; thumped me twice in the head....big mistake! I broke his nose....knocked him sprawling into a locker.
My punishment? Nothing...nada. I was sent by a teacher to the principals office, told him the truth...that I was only defending myself as my father had taught me too. Mr Stewart was a good man, knew I was not a troublemaker...so he didn't even punish me. I went back to class and it was never mentioned again.
If that happens today in Douglas county, even in 4th grade, the police are called automatically -- to two 10 yr old boys fighting. At the very least, I would have been taken to jail....where my parents would have had to pick me up. There's also a MANDATORY 5 day suspension for any student involved in a fight....even if the kid is defending himself from a bully.
It's ridiculous. My actions in self defense were no crime.
The bully never messed with me again, nor did he bully other kids in my presence. I was a straight-A middle school student....never a troublemaker at school; and have a clean police record, both as an adult and juvenile. If the politically correct "overkill" rules of today had existed in 1974, I would have been suspended at least a week....and possibly have a juvenile arrest record.
(And folks wonder why I so loathe what the public school system has become, and why I plead with sis every summer to either home school Maddie, Nick, and Jake....or place them in a private Christian school).
Last edited by SouthernWx on Fri Nov 12, 2004 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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TexasStooge
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What a bunch of crap. Sorry to use such strong language but please come on now 
Kids are getting involved in drugs and gangs. Schools should get serious about those issues instead of going overboard with something so stupid.
I would have been suspended for sure, being a dancer and a gymnast, I spent half my childhood upside down, on my head or on my hands. Often, lunch break was the only time I had to practice a routine, and if it ment doing cartwheels and flick-flacks in my school dress, well thats what I did. (The only thing, my Mom made sure I wore shorts under my dress!)
Kids are getting involved in drugs and gangs. Schools should get serious about those issues instead of going overboard with something so stupid.
I would have been suspended for sure, being a dancer and a gymnast, I spent half my childhood upside down, on my head or on my hands. Often, lunch break was the only time I had to practice a routine, and if it ment doing cartwheels and flick-flacks in my school dress, well thats what I did. (The only thing, my Mom made sure I wore shorts under my dress!)
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Guest
My daughter is in gymnastics and many of the moves are extremely dangerous and should not be done without proper equipment and a spotter. The article indicates she had been warned previously and still continued. A lunchroom is not the place to do such activities. If she had been practicing Martial Arts moves - the story would not have made the papers.
There is probably a bit more to the story.
There is probably a bit more to the story.
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chadtm80
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SouthernWx
I don't have as much a problem with discipline as the method.
When I went to school...being suspended was serious business; usually reserved for very serious offenses (cursing a teacher, stealing, fighting, bullying, etc).
Nowadays, I see kids suspended for things that in my day meant writing 200 sentences ("When Mrs Jones tells me not to do cartwheels in the lunchroom, I'll listen"). Why wasn't there other punishments chosen before it got to this extreme. Being suspended could concievably cause this girl to someday be denied admission to the college of her choice.
Why wasn't staying after school an option? What about a parent/ teacher conference to discuss the problem? My teachers all had my parents phone number...and would quickly call mom if my grades were slipping (one reason I never got into trouble...I knew my mom would know about it before I got off the school bus
If the girl was disobeying teachers consistently....then in school suspension or even paddling is preferable to suspension. I was never suspended from school....but was paddled once, and wrote sentences for misbehaving several times.
Becky (sis) was never suspended or paddled (to my knowledge)....but she had to stay after school several times, punished by "Saturday school" in 9th grade for skipping class, and wrote sentences as punishment many more times than I did).
If a kid is denied college admission to a good university because he brought a gun to school, slapped his teacher, or came to school high on drugs and was suspended because of it....it's his/ her own fault. I have no problem with that.
However, if a girl is suspended from school for doing cartwheels in the 5th grade and is someday denied entrance to a good college because of it.....it's a tragedy that those administrators should be ashamed of (and held accountable for).
When I went to school...being suspended was serious business; usually reserved for very serious offenses (cursing a teacher, stealing, fighting, bullying, etc).
Nowadays, I see kids suspended for things that in my day meant writing 200 sentences ("When Mrs Jones tells me not to do cartwheels in the lunchroom, I'll listen"). Why wasn't there other punishments chosen before it got to this extreme. Being suspended could concievably cause this girl to someday be denied admission to the college of her choice.
Why wasn't staying after school an option? What about a parent/ teacher conference to discuss the problem? My teachers all had my parents phone number...and would quickly call mom if my grades were slipping (one reason I never got into trouble...I knew my mom would know about it before I got off the school bus
If the girl was disobeying teachers consistently....then in school suspension or even paddling is preferable to suspension. I was never suspended from school....but was paddled once, and wrote sentences for misbehaving several times.
Becky (sis) was never suspended or paddled (to my knowledge)....but she had to stay after school several times, punished by "Saturday school" in 9th grade for skipping class, and wrote sentences as punishment many more times than I did).
If a kid is denied college admission to a good university because he brought a gun to school, slapped his teacher, or came to school high on drugs and was suspended because of it....it's his/ her own fault. I have no problem with that.
However, if a girl is suspended from school for doing cartwheels in the 5th grade and is someday denied entrance to a good college because of it.....it's a tragedy that those administrators should be ashamed of (and held accountable for).
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Derek Ortt
he wont be denied college because colleges only can examine the high school record. middle school records do not go onto a person's permanent record. I was suspended in 6th grade for fighting, and it was not considered for college admission.
Regarding the matter of the discipline. IMO, the girl should have received about 10 swats on the rear end, not for doing cartwheels, but instead for running around the cafeteria (5 for that) and for disobeying a teacher (another 5). If paddling is illegal (and it shouldnt be, what ever happened to the good old days of the Board of Education or getting your hands whacked with a ruler until you could no longer feel pain), then suspension was warranted because she was running in the cafeteria (not tolerated at all when I was in school) and for blatant disobeying of a teacher (also not tolerated)
Regarding the matter of the discipline. IMO, the girl should have received about 10 swats on the rear end, not for doing cartwheels, but instead for running around the cafeteria (5 for that) and for disobeying a teacher (another 5). If paddling is illegal (and it shouldnt be, what ever happened to the good old days of the Board of Education or getting your hands whacked with a ruler until you could no longer feel pain), then suspension was warranted because she was running in the cafeteria (not tolerated at all when I was in school) and for blatant disobeying of a teacher (also not tolerated)
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SouthernWx
Folks, this DIDN'T occur INSIDE the lunchroom....it was on the playground. Here's an excerpt from the channel6 news article posted above by Josephine96 (and I heard the girl's mom say the same thing on Good Morning America):
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"Administrators at the school said they were concerned about safety of their students. They said gymnastics on the playground creates an unsafe situation".
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Heck, when I was in middle school, us guys played "G.I. Joe" at recess, using rocks for hand grenades; and there were occasional "Kung Fu" exibitions by budding karate kids....boys and girls. I also remember quite a few pretty girls doing cartwheels and handstands on the school playground. I reckon we should have all been suspended
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"Administrators at the school said they were concerned about safety of their students. They said gymnastics on the playground creates an unsafe situation".
-----------------------------------
Heck, when I was in middle school, us guys played "G.I. Joe" at recess, using rocks for hand grenades; and there were occasional "Kung Fu" exibitions by budding karate kids....boys and girls. I also remember quite a few pretty girls doing cartwheels and handstands on the school playground. I reckon we should have all been suspended
Last edited by SouthernWx on Fri Nov 12, 2004 8:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Derek Ortt
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MSRobi911
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Linda I agree, but how does "Zero Tolerance" and "No Child Left Behind" work hand in hand?
Sorta hard to do both if you kick em out for stupid stuff how can they NOT be left behind? They haven't been in school and they received 0's for all the days they missed...can't pass with grades like that.
Sorta hard to do both if you kick em out for stupid stuff how can they NOT be left behind? They haven't been in school and they received 0's for all the days they missed...can't pass with grades like that.
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