Thank you for posting this.
Summer Crew
I pinned and posted to most of the “share this” area.

I admit to not knowing the entirety of your local situation, but in almost every instance that I’ve encountered where an official like this principal was impugned mercilessly for what appeared to be a bad decision, he or she was not out to harm anyone or to enjoy some kind of power trip. The situation took on a life of its own apart from what any single individual ever wanted to happen, and the initial decision had some kind of specific justification that either could not be communicated fully to the public or seemed uncontroversial until thousands of people started layering on their own interpretations of what was happening. Maybe the principal in this case acted stupidly (does that justify other people’s reactions, as you’ve noted?). But it’s quite possible (and frequently happens to be the case) that he didn’t have the luxury of explaining himself in full. Confidentiality and the law prevent school officials from explaining to the public the majority of the decisions–large and small–they make from day to day.

That said, “If a frog had wings he wouldn’t bump his ass a hoppin’.” All the talk about the principal handling it another way doesn’t mean much. The first domino fell as it did, so how could others have reacted differently? I liked Michael’s comment. Take the bad out of bad ass and you’re just an ass.

It’s a shame we are afraid to let young people — excuse me, white young people with relatively influential voting parents — fail early and fail small.

To the FBI, there is no detail given here and I would hope most reasonably aware people in our community know this. You are not here so you get a pass. I received permission from the source to post this. Her concern had more to do with personal consequences than any detrimental effect on public safety.

However, in this case I have to respectfully disagree with the idea that the principal deserves our unquestioning support. Clearly this man needs better conflict resolution skills. He actively provoked kids into being insubordinate, and then punished them for it. It takes two to tango–these things don’t happen in a vacuum. There are better ways to handle these kinds of things.

I believe in respecting leaders, but I also believe that authority should be questioned. The kids should be held accountable for their actions, but so should he. He should be the one setting an example and providing leadership.

And honestly, I have to take the whole FBI/gang angle with a grain of salt. Is this an authoritative source, or someone just passing along gossip? Why would gangs be interested in only one local high school? It seems much more likely to me that many local schools have gang issues. No other local schools have issues with gang colors? If even mentioning the FBI is going to jinx their investigation, why are you passing along the info here on the internet where anyone can read it? Sorry, the story just doesn’t make sense to me.