'We don't have kings in America': Parents' outrage forces elementary school to scrap policy requiring students to KNEEL before principal

[Peikko 1,575]

This is epic Daily Mail journopinion!

What a classic.

'We don't have kings in America': Parents' outrage forces elementary school to scrap policy requiring students to KNEEL before principal

Dana Carter is neither king nor pope, but until this week, the principal of a California elementary school had a policy in place requiring his students to kneel before him.

School district officials in San Bernardino County announced Tuesday that kids at Calimesa Elementary School will no longer have to 'take a knee' at various times during the day and wait for Principal Carter or other school officials to dismiss them.

Carter, who was appointed to head the school only three months ago according to his LinkedIn profile, apparently instituted the kneeling policy as a safety measure.

According to a flyer that had been circulated among parents, the former gym teacher-turned-school administrator aimed to enforce safety in 'a positive way' by requiring children to drop down on one knee before classes and after recess.

No everyone, however, was on board with Carter's unusual approach to on-campus safety.

Yucaipa Calimesa Unified School District Superintendent Cali Binks told KCAL9 the policy will no longer be enforced after several parents had complained.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2400285/Schools-policy-students-kneeling-principal-scrapped-parents-outrage.html

I'm going to go out on a limb here, the principal is a former gym teacher, going on one knee is something that is often done on sports fields when there has been an injury on field to focus attention and ensure safety - I doubt he had any idea that it could be seen as a power trip. Clearly, for some parents, expecting their little darlings to participate in any form of disciplined behaviour is a little too much to countenance. Gotta love the parenting skills on this one.

And waiting for the inevitable topic title change, my title is

Mail's eye view of Elementary school policy

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Wow! Charles! is following you around, just like the old days.

[Peikko 1,575]

Cute isn't it? I liked my title better. I hope the moderators are huddling right now tussling with the rights and wrongs of changing non confrontational threat titles

Edited August 22, 2013 by The Truth™

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I hope the moderators are huddling right now tussling with the rights and wrongs of changing non confrontational threat titles

I wouldn't count on it. The moderation is aiming for consistency, not fairness.

[Peikko 1,575]

You could be right, it's not like I am going to cry if I don't get my way. I've asked the question, I await the response.

[Jacque67 7,328]

why was the title changed?

[Pooky 3,348]

I'm going to go out on a limb here, the principal is a former gym teacher, going on one knee is something that is often done on sports fields when there has been an injury on field to focus attention and ensure safety - I doubt he had any idea that it could be seen as a power trip. Clearly, for some parents, expecting their little darlings to participate in any form of disciplined behaviour is a little too much to countenance. Gotta love the parenting skills on this one.

The problem I have with the quoted paragraph is that the principal indeed may not have had any idea that this rule could be seen as a power trip. But he should have.

I agree with those parents who complained. There are plenty of other ways to bring discipline to students, ways which do not harken back to medieval times.

[Darnell 8,478]

when i was a kid, all of my coaches said 'take a knee' then the team would spread round in a circle round the coach and listen to instruction.

Perhaps it's 'this' method that this prior coach was used to ?

[GandD 5,966]

why was the title changed?

Titles for threads with quoted articles have to match the title of said quoted article.

I prefer the days of "Obama is junk" for a title.

Edited August 23, 2013 by GandD

[Peikko 1,575]

when i was a kid, all of my coaches said 'take a knee' then the team would spread round in a circle round the coach and listen to instruction.

Perhaps it's 'this' method that this prior coach was used to ?

That's exactly what i think it is, he was a gym teacher, he used a technique that works on the ball field. How anyone takes that as some kind of demand for undue deference is beyond me.

[Darnell 8,478]

couch-potato parents, is my 2nd guess.