Does This Punishment Fit the Crime?
@whiteheather39 (24403)
United States
April 6, 2007 8:15am CST
I hope I don't make too many of you angry but I find in our times when for serious crimes young people are not getting enough punishement that this is too severe. Yes he was being disrepectful but to kick him out of the shcool in his graduation year...!! What is your opinion?
Fla. Student Who Mooned Teacher Sues
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - A high school senior acknowledges he went too far when he mooned a teacher. But he thinks the decision of school officials to send him to a new school for the rest of the year was too harsh, so his family is suing.
Tyler Tillung, 18, mooned a teacher "suddenly and without thinking about the consequences" in February, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday. The teacher had declined to let him into a Feb. 21 school lip sync show that was full. He was suspended for six days and reassigned to a new school.
But the teen wants to graduate with his Palm Harbor University High class in six weeks and complete his final season on the varsity baseball team, the lawsuit said.
"We're talking about his graduation," said Tillung's lawyer, B. Edwin Johnson. "That's an important event in a guy's life. ... This kid deserves a break."
School Board Attorney Jim Robinson said administrators stand by their decision.
"Without knowing the allegations, we're confident in the administration's position on this case," Robinson said. Palm Harbor principal Herman "Doc" Allen described the mooning as "disgusting" and the teacher as "traumatized."
http://story.news.ask.com/article/20070404/D8OA3IL00.html
8 people like this
17 responses
@GardenGerty (160696)
• United States
6 Apr 07
I do not think a public high school teacher could actually be traumatized by a mooning, if so, that teacher should find another job. I have seen worse. I do not think this was too severe a punishment, however. I do think if he had been prevented from graduating at all, or if he had had to serve jail time, it would have been too severe. Today's kids have got to know that you do not do those things in the real world. I am sorry, but I would bet kids in the Philippines, Japan, China, Malaysia, and India would value themselves,and their education more than that. American kids are spoiled rotten, then mommy and daddy go to court and sue anyone who dares to cross their desires. If a stage show was full, he should have tried to enter sooner. Not being in it was not the end of the world. No call to act like a jerk. My kid would have gotten a worse punishment than that.
1 person likes this
@thewellnessretreat (126)
• United States
7 Apr 07
I totally agree! The kids of today are out of control and they are going to run this country someday, which is really scary to me. Granted, this wasn't a huge deal in comparison to other things that go on at schools, but right is right and wrong is wrong. If he were older and did that he would be arrested for indecent exposure. Sometimes punishments have to be harsh to make a difference. I would like to see things like that happen for many many more kids these days! Sorry all, I just think we are not near hard enough on kids today! We are going to have a real crisis on our hands a few years from now at this rate.
1 person likes this
@chienah (23)
• Philippines
7 Apr 07
i also agree. The punishment for that kid wasn't that hard. The school admin had just did what they thought was fair for the teacher and the offending kid, who after all should take a life's lesson for doing things not fit for his age - he's already 18, and should have been behaving like a gentleman. In our country, a ten-year old could no longer afford to put himself in shame like the boy did. In our country, extremely disrecpectful public school students are having hard time finishing their high school as they become blacklisted once they were expelled from a public school. The kid was just lucky to be transferred to another school, and still graduating after his misbehavior.
@vmoore709 (1101)
• United States
7 Apr 07
I highly doubt the teacher is "traumatized" but the kid was wrong. I'm not sure where I stand on this one. I can see where the school has to do something or other kids will follow his example. The kid still graduates, just now with his class so they really can't say too much, but with only a month of school left, why not just let him go with the 6 day suspension. This really gives me something to think about.
1 person likes this
@xfallenxlostx (2074)
• United States
7 Apr 07
That punnishment is FAR too harsh. Sure, it was disrespectufl of him to moon the teacher, but give me a break. It's not THAT big of a deal. he could have done MUCH worse. What would you rather? He spout of swearing at you or he show you his butt for a second? Besides, mooning is funny. i just would have laughed.
@anonymili (3138)
•
7 Apr 07
I actually looked up information about this story to see if other new stories could shed more light and I found this below:
"The incident occurred Feb. 21 when Taylor tried to gain access to the annual Lip Sync show at Palm Harbor University High. When veteran teacher Carla Webster told him the event was sold out and the auditorium was too full, Taylor pressed her to let him in.
After she declined, he mooned the teacher. The lawsuit concedes that he made the act worse "by spreading his buttocks for an instant."
In a letter to district administrators, Palm Harbor principal Herman "Doc" Allen called the episode "disgusting" and said Taylor had been argumentative and defiant before mooning Webster, whom he described as "traumatized." It also described his apologies as insincere."
Just thought I'd paste that there to show there was slightly more to the incident than just the mooning which was mentioned briefly... :)
@lovesfreedom (1245)
• United States
7 Apr 07
judging from what i read, I agree that it is to severe. What good will it do for him not to be able to graduate? He needs this to make a better life.
Maybe a written apology and community service would be a better way to punish him.
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
•
6 Apr 07
I agree with you heather - kids today get away with bullying, swearing and assaulting teachers with barely any consequences having to be faced. This lad should be punished in some way for disrespect but this is a very harsh treatment indeed - when are we going to see things becoming a bit more well balanced!
@natalie1981 (1995)
• Singapore
7 Apr 07
Yes, it's okay. If that kid did that here in our country, he'd be kicked out of school. You can't use your being a teenager as an excuse. For pete's sake, your school is FULL of teenagers, but have THEY ever mooned a teacher? The school officials are nice enough to do the transferring. I mean, here, they'd just kick the student out and even withhold their credentials. Teachers deserve respect. Just my 2cents. :)
1 person likes this
@weemam (13372)
•
9 Apr 07
I have said it before and I will say it again , this world has gone mad , we are having rapist getting of with it young people here in Scotland are getting off with crimes because the prisons are full ( bloody stupid) The teacher must have been easy traumatised , I know he had done wrong , he would have probably felt terrible after he had done it , and yes I think he should have been given some sort of punishment but that was a bit too much , xx
@lonewolfnan (4366)
• Canada
7 Apr 07
So for doing an admittedly-childish prank,the school officials are going to take all the work he has done in 12 years of schooling and flush it?It is not surprising the board is siding with the principal AT THIS TIME to show support for him,but when the outcry reaches its peak the board will make a decision based on knowledge rather than over reaction.There is always a way around these situations(ie;transfer him back when the grad is actually going to happen) so that all parties keep their "dignity".By the way;a teacher that is "tramatized" by seeing a butt??I am surprised the teacher has not been laughed out of the district!.
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
6 Apr 07
You know, while it was "wrong" to do and yes he should be punished I think the world just takes itself too serious anymore. My God, we used to go "mooning" as teens when the local theater was letting out. We laughed, it wasn't the end of the world and people saw a butt. Was it right? No. Was it earth shattering? Heck no.
I have to agree that it's just gotten out of hand and people are "paying the price" for the most ridiculous things. Suspension yes, graduating with a class he has never been with... ridiculous.
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
7 Apr 07
I live near Clearwater and hadn't heard about this but I'm not surprised at how the school is reacting. I don't agree with them but I don't agree with a lot the school systems do around here.
Yes he should be punished, I agree with that but the punishment should fit the crime. Give him in school or even out of school suspension. Switch his classes around so he doesn't have that teacher again but don't force him to switch schools. That is going a bit far in my opinion. There is no reason to expel him which is basically what they are doing. Also with moving him to the new school they are punishing the parents because then they have to make sure he gets there unlike before were he could ride the bus or what have you. I really hope they fight this and win. I'll be curious to find out.
@kathy77 (7486)
• Australia
7 Apr 07
I have to agree with you that with crimes today that the people are getting away with far too much and the punishment does not fit for the crime that the criminals commit. I do not know also what is wrong with some parents as they a lot of them let their children get away with far too much. Well the student should of thought about this before they committed the crime and so should the parents.
@chaygylmommy (2470)
• United States
7 Apr 07
Yes, I do think they are going way overboard here! Ok...so a teenager mooned someone, big deal!!! He could have been doing so much worse!! It fails to mention if he has a problem in being habitually disrespectful. If so, maybe this was the last straw, but since nothing was said about past incidences, then I have to assume it was a one time only thing. And, for the teacher to be described as "traumatized"!!! PLEASE! LOL This is just really silly
@onabreak2 (1161)
• United States
7 Apr 07
Kids do bold things when they get close to graduation. The punishment may be too harsh but it may be just the trick to teaching this kid that there are consequences to when we do things that we are not supposed to do. Kids have less and less respect for their teachers and their elders. So it may be harsh but it may be just the ticket and teach him a life lesson.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
6 Apr 07
LIke the teacher has never seen a butt before!
and was it a woman teacher? Suspention yes other school not sure If he is a good player why would they move him to other scool alot of kids have got by with alot more and got to stay with the school of choice
@rebelangelseven (315)
• United States
6 Apr 07
this is crazy but being a resident of florida for about 33 years i can believe that it happened. and yes i too believe this is too harsh for something so simple. if the teacher was traumatized they shouldnt be a teacher in the first place
@4cuteboys (4099)
• United States
6 Apr 07
Wow yes IF this was his first infraction with the school then I feel it was too harsh. Kids are naturally impulsive, and although he is 18, most 18 year old boys still have problems controlling themselves. Not making that an excuse for obviously bad behavior but maybe they could have lessened the penalty just a little bit considering he was graduating
