Boy With A Purse. School Officials Go Psycho.
Scott Schackford writes at reason:
13-year-old Skyler Davis, an 8th-grader in Anderson County Junior-Senior School in Garnett, Kansas, just wants to wear his Vera Bradley purse to class, but some folks are just being jerks about it.Based on coverage from KCTV in Kansas, it doesn't appear as though the problem is bullying from other students. Even Skyler's own brother is on his side. It's school officials who are telling him he can't wear his purse in class, going so far as to suspend him.
Unless purses are banned for all -- which they're not and which would be ridiculous (it's a fucking bag to carry your crap in) -- why should they be going all authoritarian on this kid?
Well, it turns out they are very firm on showing they're the bosses, as the kid's mom said she was told the suspension wouldn't be lifted until her son stops wearing the purse, which he'd said on Wednesday that he wouldn't do.
Good for him and for his mom for not knuckling under to these administrative bullies.
Zero tolerance now for handbags? Really? Really?
Being offended by a Vera Bradley purse? Now I've heard it ALL.
They're basically purses that women who have kids, do office work, are gossipy, and into arts and crafts are into. Usually they tend to be menopausal.
Ppen at November 8, 2013 9:35 AM
Well, I can understand being offended by a Vera Bradley purse on principal. They tend to be ugly as hell. :p
That said... if the kids wants to prance around in a fucking tu-tu so be it. Who the fuck cares?
I've actualy noticed something... most of the time, the problem is NOT bullying. Most of the kids I know are actually very open-minded. They don't give a shit what you're wearing, as long you're confident about it. The problems start when the fucktard parents make it an issue on it...
The problem isn't bullying. The problem is this boy isn't fitting into the "boy" mold that the adminstration thinks he should fit into. And we can't have anyone expressing individulity these days now can we?
Sabrina at November 8, 2013 9:40 AM
Anderson County Junior-Senior High. 785-448-3115, or send an e-mail here. Assistant Principal Don Hilliard.
Beth Cartwright at November 8, 2013 9:47 AM
Thanks, Beth. I just sent that asshat an email, asking if he didn't have any REAL teaching to do, and to leave the kid and his bag alone.
What a douche.
Flynne at November 8, 2013 10:05 AM
I went back and looked at the story again... there's more to it than we are getting here... I still stand by my statement but I need to add soemthing else...
The issue seems to be more about the fact that he wore the bag in a core class, which is apparently against the rules, not the bag itself.
It seems that the parents made the issue about the bag itself. If that's the case, then this is a whole lotta to-do about nothing.
Now, if there is a rule about bags not being allowed in the core classes, and he refused to take it off then the school is completely justified. He doesn't get to be above the rules, even if we think the rule is stupid, to "express himself."
I'm curious as to how consistent the enforcement of said "bag" rule is and is there actually a written rule in any handbook or is it one of those "well everyone knows that" rules that is enforced. If there is no actual written rule, then perhaps the school needs to address that before they start enforcing it. And then, they need to enforce it consistenly.
Sabrina at November 8, 2013 10:59 AM
After seeing way too many of these types of stories I have become convinced that too many people get into the education business because they think they can lord it over the kids
What they forget is that these kids have adult parents, many of whom will call the administrator/teacher on obvious bull shit. Then the school has to come up with a way to spin it so they don't look like total idiots. (Often this can't be done)
Jay at November 8, 2013 11:16 AM
What difference does it make what type of class he attends with the bag? Is there a purported reason for this goofy rule?
Rules like this should piss people off just as much as selective enforcement of them. Aside from the cop-out of "disruptiveness," what exactly is it about anyone's attire or appearance that actually has one iota of involvement with education?
ValiantBlue at November 8, 2013 11:25 AM
Oh, I remember this. Not this specific issue, but I know what happened.
He violated a social norm. (Boys don't carry purses.) Somebody, probably a teacher, maybe the Principal, told him not to.
And he told them no. It's not about boys and purses any more. It's about who's in charge.
It will now take a direct order from the Superintendent of Schools or the School Board to get the administration to budge now.
Lamont Cranston at November 8, 2013 11:37 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/11/boy-with-a-purs.html#comment-4040623">comment from JayPublished After seeing way too many of these types of stories I have become convinced that too many people get into the education business because they think they can lord it over the kids
I think you're right, Jay, probably to a great extent.
What kind of person needs to push around some kid, go all authoritarian on them?
Amy Alkon at November 8, 2013 11:52 AM
Obedience training. Gotta start early.
Lisa Simeone at November 8, 2013 12:11 PM
What difference does it make what type of class he attends with the bag? Is there a purported reason for this goofy rule?
I actually don't disagree, ValiantBlue.
However, if the rule truly does exist then yes, the school was justified. Stupid rule or not, the kid isn't exempt from following it because he wants to "express himself". No. It doesn't work that way. That's exactly the kind of entitled attitude we here often rail against. If you don't like a rule, you go through the proper chanels to try to have it changed; you don't decide that the rule doesn't apply to you and then get huffy when you're called on it. Perhaps there is a legitimate reason for the rule. Perhaps it's as arbitrary as we all think. But, until we hear what it is, this is all speculation...
My questions are:
1) Can the school proves the rule exists in the first place?
and
2) Can they prove there is consistent enforcement of the rule?
I cannot believe that this is the ONLY incident in the supossed ten years this administrator says this rule has been in place where a student has refused to comply.
So, that begs the next question...
3) Is the rule consistently enforced and this parent made it a bigger issue by making it about discrimination (in which case shame on her) OR is this the first time the school has really enforced it (due to the fact that he's a boy carrying a "womans" bag) and that's the problem?
Until they answer question 1, we can't really answer question 2 and 3.
Sabrina at November 8, 2013 12:33 PM
My second querstion if the first can be answered would be
What is the PURPOSE of the rule.
I dont give a fuck if it is a rule, if it serves no purpose then it SHOULD be ignored.
lujlp at November 8, 2013 1:34 PM
But no one gets to bring a book bag, purse, knapsack, etc. into class. This isn't discrimination, this is some kid with a Tumblr and his mommy wanting him to be all speshul. It's made-up.
katec at November 8, 2013 1:56 PM
I'm with katec. Color me cynical. I am seeing a future Common Application essay in this story. Tell us about a time you had to face oppression.... Well, when I was 13 I was experimenting with gender norms and got kicked out of school for carrying a Vera Bradley purse...
BTW, Vera Bradley is very popular with the middle school set, all of the girls carry them so don't discount this as a ploy too quickly. Otherwise, who cares? Let the kid carry whatever he wants to. Don't feed his need for attention.
Sheep mommy at November 8, 2013 4:17 PM
So ...
(1) Kansas
(2) Public school administrator
(3) Rationality
Which thing ain't like t'others?
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at November 8, 2013 4:28 PM
If they are enforcing the prohibition on girls carrying purses and other students with backpacks to the "core" classes (math, English, history, etc.) then this is selective enforcement and he is in the right.
If they aren't enforcing it for other students then the administration has a choice: do it to everyone or back down.
For me I, couldn't have survived without a backpack in my senior high school years. My school had all the class rooms in two wings laid out like an like a giant "L" ( _| ) The business classes were at the top of the one wing. The college prep was at the end of the other wing. All my classes were downstairs. My locker was upstairs closer to the business classes but still a pain to visit other than at lunch. It was actually faster for me to leave the one end of the building and come in the other end.
This sounds like an arbitrary rule the school pulls out as needed.
Jim P. at November 8, 2013 5:50 PM
Yeah, the no-bags-of-any-kind-in-class rule is in place at my kids' schools, too. The schools do work to ensure that the kids don't need their bags---there is a classroom set of textbooks and the kids are instructed to leave their own copies of the textbook at home, but it's still a dumb rule. Nearly all the kids (including my own) skirt the rule by carrying a huge zippered binder with a strap. One could definitely hide a handgun or a knife or drugs in those binders, so it defeats the stated purpose of the bag ban.
So, dumb rule, but probably not a gender-policing dumb rule.
Jenny Had A Chance at November 9, 2013 7:23 AM
Leave a comment