Fuckin Florida. Again. Is there any way we can just arrange a national media blackout on Florida?
Dam good point. I sometimes support vigalante justice such as store owners defending their property , but this also shows me that if we applaud it too much then there’s plenty of jerks out there that will go off half cocked to defend some percieved offense.
A competitor radio station ought to award them the " dumbass radio station of the year" award and call for a public retraction of the award they gave the Dad.
Right. Notice that the girl had assaulted someone with a coke when the teacher in question disciplined her. Seems like she was following her Dads sterling example.
I tried to teach my kids to stand up for themselves and others who needed it without being vindictive or vengeful.
IMO, the dad deserves a break. I don’t know his situation, but in my experience (which may indeed be atypical, but whatever), school administrators are much more interested in covering their asses than in fixing any disciplinary or staff problems which arise in a school. Again, YMMV, but it’s very easy to get convinced, rationally, that if your kid has a problem in school nothing’s going to be done about it unless you do it yourself.
–Cliffy
The superintendant’s comment, with punctuation:
“We have found that Mr. Mathis is not guilty of what this young lady has accused him of doing, that her accusations are false: timelines don’t match up, (and) other students in class the don’t corroborate her story.”
It only took two read-throughs to get past the lack of punctuation and figure out what was being said.
As one who has spent hours transcribing the written comments of school superintendents, I have to say: You’ve got that right.
Far more detail in this local account of what happened than any of the AP stories
He certainly shouldn’t be castigated for getting mad about the situation in the first place, given what his daughter told him, or for demanding that the school investigate and take appropriate measures to protect the students. And he can certainly be cut some slack for his unwillingness to believe that his daughter lied to him and for his suspicions that the school might cover up for its employee.
He deserves no break at all for having physically assaulted the accused person. That’s a criminal act. If he can’t control his emotions better than that, he needs to keep out of the way of people he’s mad at.
Oh, you can thank our current social mores for that. Kids from about the age of 7 onward know that if your parents discipline you, you can call the cops and get them in a lot of trouble. They also know that all they have to do is say something about inappropriate behaviour and a teacher gets in a lot of trouble. They also know that there will be no consequences for their actions.
Frankly, I hope they crucify this girl and her dad both. We need to start getting control of our classrooms back and we might as well start here.
My $0.02 worth…
None of this is true.
I don’t know Florida law, but if this had happened in California, the father would be in jail on felony assault charges, and the aide would be making retirement plans to Tahiti. Swinging at a teacher is bad mojo out here. The only break the dad deserves is an appendage. (Speaking as a teacher, I admit to some bias here.)
Really? It’s the fault of “our current social mores”, and not the fault of the parent(s) who didn’t teach their child to tell the truth? You don’t think the father’s demonstrated inability to refrain from criminal assault, and his continuing self-justification for it (“I’m not proud of what I did, but I was defending my daughter and I think most fathers would do the same”) indicate some character flaws that might have had a negative impact on his daughter’s upbringing?
Gee, whatever happened to the lauded principle of personal responsibility, rather than blaming society for all one’s problems?
And I wonder how most of the other kids in that school, also brought up in today’s “social mores”, managed to avoid becoming similar mischief-making liars who would falsely accuse a teacher in order to get revenge.
Ooh… so close. Someday I hope to write a sentence this lacking in coherency. Perhaps he’d read Finnegan’s Wake last night?
I know from personal experience that you are incorrect.
Damn straight. Eighty years ago, the dad would’ve gotten a bunch of his buddies together and lynched the teacher.
Good times…
I beg to differ. Some of it is quite accurate.
A friend of mine just started his teaching career. He’s a very handsome young man - and his first teaching job is in a middle school. When I found out, I started singing the Police song “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” to him.
:eek: 
What initial circumstances? An unfounded accusation, supported by absolutely no evidence? And this justifies assault?
You’re an idiot.
'Splain please?
Swafford was on The O’Reilly Factoid last night. I can only imagine. Did anyone catch it?