Texas School Suspends Student for Answering Call in Class From Dad in Iraq

[leobold1]

FOXNews.com - Texas School Suspends Student for Answering Call in Class From Dad in Iraq - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

Saturday, April 12, 2008

A Texas sergeant and his son recently found themselves separated not only by an eight-hour time difference, several bodies of water, hundreds of miles and a war, but by a high school official who suspended the boy for answering his dad's call during class.

Cove High School in Texas, where half the students have at least one parent deployed, justified the punishment against Brandon Hill by saying he had violated the no-cell-phone policy when he took the call from his father, who is serving in Iraq.

"I have been going through a lot of stress lately and my dad’s like my best friend, so I go to him for everything," the sophomore told FOX News on Saturday.

"I needed to talk to him, so my mom got a hold of him on Yahoo and told him to call me, so I answered the phone call in class."

When he learned of his son’s punishment, Master Sgt. Morris Hill said he was unsettled.

"When my wife told me, I was pretty disturbed by it," he said in a phone call from Iraq.

"I was pretty shocked, considering that several months before we left I had talked to the … assistant principal and thought everything was fine," Morris Hill said.

"Since my kid’s been going to the school we’ve had a pretty good working relationship."

And when his mother, Patricia Hill, tried to contact school officials, she received no response until her son’s story garnered media attention.

The matter has since been resolved, Patricia Hill said, but she added that more must be done to protect children around the country from being punished in similar circumstances.

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I can see the school punishing the student for this. We had a guy who was waiting on an important call when we didn't allow cell phones in the shop. He gave the phone to me (I was running the shop) and when the call came in, he took the call, then returned it to his locker. I've seen schools do the same (my dad's a teacher and has done it). All it takes is the student to ask.

[Woodmonkey]

It's too bad the kid didn't make prior arrangements. If the school refused to bend, then it should be a huge issue.

[redtanker]

he could have made arrangements, missed school... planned for a call at another time. I think you would have every kid taking calls all day long if you did not have this rule

[Snowden]

"I was pretty shocked, considering that several months before we left I had talked to the … assistant principal and thought everything was fine," Morris Hill said.

"Since my kid’s been going to the school we’ve had a pretty good working relationship."

It seems he at least thought the way was clear to talk with his son. He had tried to clear it. I assume the "pretty good working relationship" had more to do with the school than his son, who seems to have thought it was all right. I guess they will be more careful in future arrangements.

It reminds me of a time when our youngest son was in Cambridge and he and I had a much interrupted call between him and me during working hours. I had permission for the call, and when we finally got it straight what we needed, I went to the Department Head and told him that it would be a huge expense because of the many interruptions, and that I would pay for the call.

However, when the Accounting Dept. got the bill, they sent my Dept. Head a message accusing me of wrong doing; I was asked about it and the Dept. Head remembered and was furious because my name had been smeared in his estimation. He would not let me pay for the call; I don't know how he settled it to this day, but I had no more problem with it, simply because it was cleared before the bill came in.

When the arrangements, incidents or whatever are clear, I believe most people will cooperate with others.

[conlor]

His mother should never have bothered his father about the suspension while he's over there.

Rules are rules, but they can sometimes be broken. Depends whose kid it is, most likely. Would it be okay if it was a big-shot who called his kid?