Secondary students punished for being political

national | miscellaneous | news report

Friday September 16, 2005 23:52

by Cian - Union of Secondary Students & Student Action (Ardscoil Ris) & Socialist Youth

comradecian at eircom dot net

Limerick

Studens parents called in for handing out leaflets to students outside school time and grounds!

Eight students from Ardscoil Ris, Limerick, and one non-student leafleted there school ,afetr school ended and have been punished for it. they were not on school gronds, they had no school crest on them and even the rincipal has said they were breaking no rule - but she says we can't do it so we can't. Freedom of speech? I think not...

This is a copy of a post i have on a students forum

Hey,

I think this is an emergancy issue that needs acting o straight away. Today me and others from my school (about 7 of us) handed out leaflets on public property in our clothes with no crests or anything showing and we have since been given out to by the principal and our parents called. In a similar even i heard another student was EXPELLED today. His parents complained and they accepted him back. I have read my schools code of discipline and it has nothing that could even be loosly interpreted as you are not allowed hand out leaflets. Even if we were leafleting on school grounds in our uniforms they have nothing against it in the school rules. They would, however, be able to kick us off as it is private property. However we weren't even on the school grounds. We were on public ground that was across the road from the school. When 2 of my friends were meeting the principal they asked what rule was it against and she actually said that it isn't against any rule but she is saying it so its not allowed. This is a perfect, extreme, example of how the schools have a devine authority to say what ever the hell they want. But this time they are quite obviously going against our democratic rights. We as a union can't stand for this! This is ludicrous. I have been summond to another meeting on monday, she (the princiapal0 is talking abt going to the BoM, other students parents ave already been called into the school. that is a serious punishment for exercising your demcratic rights!

Just in case you thought it was some weird leaflet it was an Anti-War leaflet, trying to get people to come along toa protest on saturday week at shanon airport. Our government spends over 10,000 a day supporting the war effort (the Dept. of Transport pay the bills that incoming flights normally pay - landing fees etc), and shannon is the number 1 spot for US troops travelling through europe, it has also been used by them to transport prisoners to Guantanamo Bay. And the recent hurrican Katrina highlights another problem - the uS have spent something like $300,000,000,000 on the war, and yet they need aid from the irish government and others and refuse to build the defences that were asked for over a year ago toprotect New Orleans from this kinda thing. We, as young people, should be trying to ake our voice heard and to get intouch with like minded people and build a movement of young people so that we get our voices heard. That is why we should all be out at shannon on the 24th. There are busses coming from belfast, dublin, cork and limerick. It should be cheap - 5 to 10 euro return id say and less from limerick (and cork presumanbly). ANYway...

Cya,

Thanks, Cian