Over 30 anti-war protestors at Morton West High School in Berwyn face expulsion for a demonstration

[UndertheOcean]

This was sent to us from a sdser in New York, if you have a chance please contact the people listed at the bottom of the email.

Eric


Over 30 anti-war protestors at Morton West High School in Berwyn face expulsion for a demonstration at the school on Thursday.
Scores of Students Face Expulsion Due to Sit-in
Berwyn, IL

Over 70 students participated in a sit-in against the Iraq War on All Saint's Day, Thursday, November 1st. It began third hour when dozens of students gathered quietly in the lunchroom at Morton West High School and refused to leave. The administrators and police became involved immediately and locked down the school for a half hour after class ended. Students report that they were promised that there would be no charges besides cutting classes if they took their protest outside so as not to disturb the school day. The students complied, and were led to a corner outside the cafeteria where they sang songs and held signs while classes resumed.

Despite a police line set up between the protestors and the student body, many other students joined the demonstration. Organizers say they chose November first because it is the Christian holy day called the feast of All Saints and a national day of peace. They wrote a letter and delivered it to Superintendent, Dr. Ben Nowakowski who was present at the time, stating the reason for their protest.

Deans, counselors and even the Superintendent tried to change the minds of a few, mainly those students with higher GPA scores to abandon the protest. The school called the homes of many of the protestors. Those whose parents arrived before the end of school and took their students home, or left before the protest ended at the final bell, received 3-5 days suspension. All others, an estimated 37 received 10 days suspension and expulsion papers. Parents report that Nowakowski stated those who are seventeen will also face police charges.

Parents who are frantically trying to spare their child's expulsion flooded the school yesterday to file appeals on the matter. So far, Superintendent Nowakowski has held firm on the punishments. They are expected to find out the results of the appeals on Tuesday. Parents and students report and the school's videotape shown to some of the parents confirms that the students were non-violent in their action.

The protest came on the heels of a recent incident on October 15th, when a student reported hearing that another student had a gun on campus. The story of the eyewitness was deemed unreliable and the school was not locked down. Later that week (October 19), the Berwyn police, acting on a tip arrested one of the youths originally questioned for gun possession and he allegedly confessed to carrying an unloaded semi-automatic handgun that day. All these issues, plus the expected announcement of whether uniforms will be established in the school should make the next Board of Education meeting on Wednesday at 7:00pm at the Morton East campus very well-attended.

See the link below for the Superintendent's statement on the matter:
www.jsmortonhs.com/news/contentview.asp

For letters or phone calls of support, please see information below:

Dr. Ben Nowakowski, Superintendent
District 201
2423 South Austin, Cicero, IL 60804
bnowakowski (at) jsmorton.org

[phone]

Mr. Lucas, Principal
Morton West High School
2400 S. Home Ave.
Berwyn, IL 60402
jlucas (at) west.jsmorton.org

708-222-5901

Mr. Jeffry Pesek, President
Board of Education, District 201
3145 South 55th Avenue
Cicero, IL 60804

708-802-1863

For the rest of the Board Members see:
www.jsmortonhs.com/board/default.asp

For parent contact:
Pam Winstead 708-749-3163 , pwinstead (at) clearchannel.com

Alma Moran 708-717-4202 , qtalmita (at) yahoo.com

Adam Szwarek 847-587-8849 , tsq9743 (at) aol.com
Students Threatened With Expulsion after Morton West Sit-in
04Nov07

Nineteen Morton West High School Students were threatened with expulsion after staging a sit-in to protest the Iraq War. You can read more about the event here: http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/80059/index.php

We are urging all student and community organizations to protest the excessive actions taken by the school administrators and to give us permission to attach your organization's name to the petition below. In order to have your organization placed on the petition, please contact me at [e-mail]

覧覧覧覧覧覧-

In Defense of the Morton West Students

We are writing in defense of the nineteen students who now face excessive disciplinary actions at the hands of various Morton West school administrators. Our sympathies lie with the courageous and moral struggle that the students have taken up, and with their parents who still support them. The struggle for a peaceful and just society absent of war should not be met with punishment, but should be supported by the community as a whole, especially from within the educational setting. Furthermore, It is our firm belief that an injury to freedom for students anywhere is an injury to freedom for students everywhere. This is why we urge all Morton West administrators to drop all disciplinary action against the said students, and to remove any indications of said events from their permanent records.

Columbia College Chicago Students for a Democratic Society

[murielm99]

1. Columbia College has an SDS chapter?

When was this revived?

[UndertheOcean]

2. There is a revival going on..

check this ==> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_SDS

And please recommend the thread so it gets maximum visibility

[Bitwit1234]

3. See how republicans have shut another phase of the country down

I know a lot of you aren't old enough to remember, the sit-ins and the demonstrations during the 60's. Well they didn't get expelled. It seems to me this administration wants absolutely no criticism of their actions whatsoever and they punish the most vulnerable. Kick the principal out, remember this is a teaching institution. They should show the students what America is all about and is shouldn't be suppression and down trodding.

[tom_paine]

5. Unquestionably. Another message from the totalitarian masters that dissent is not permitted

Dissent = Life ruined.

That's how the nazis did it, and thats how the Bushies are doing it.

People get the message. Look at the Democratic Leadership. A couple of plane crashes, and some envelopes of anthrax, then som tanked investigation for the "plausible deniability" the Bushies all love to cover their crimes. And viola, a Democratic Congression Leadership that Nixon could have chosen himself.

People get the message. So will these students. The totalitarian chill is in the air.

[shadowknows69]

4. Bookmarking this for Monday

Some of these kids probably learned of sit-ins and the 60's protests from civics classes that they're not even required to take anymore and they're going to be expelled for putting their knowledge into action. Unfathomable. This superintendent should be expelled. I found this sentence very telling too.

"Deans, counselors and even the Superintendent tried to change the minds of a few, mainly those students with higher GPA scores to abandon the protest."

So they were prepared to let the "loser" students hang alone but they tried to save their promising kids. The ones who would ruin their bright future for criticizing the Furher's illegal wars.

[RC]

6. Naa, the real reason they tried to change the minds of the higher GPA students

was money. Money! Schools nowadays get paid depending on the scores of a standardize test. Smarter kids do better. Get rid of the slower kids and you get higher scores and therefore more money for the school. Money is their god. Money drives everything they do.

[flashl]

7. Agree

And, I like your sig picture. Had it in my office for years.

[knitter4democracy]

8. As a mom and former high school teacher, I'd be on the rampage!

If my kids were in on that (and probably would have been) and got suspended and the expulsion hearing notice, I'd be on a rampage! Those kids have every right to do what they did as long as they agree to deal with the consequences of skipping class. There is no way I'd take my kids home--heck, I'd sit there and join them! A ten day suspension for a protest?! That's ridiculous! Kids who do worse get less than that. Expulsion for proving that our Constitution still works?! Insane!

I might write a letter. This needs to get dealt with, and it really shouldn't go to court.

[Quantess]

14. I hope their PTA is on top of this.

Even if there is only one PTA member who is on the protertors' sides, they will all be talking about it. Open discussion is a good thing.

[knitter4democracy]

17. And maybe the parent advisory committee, too.

High schools often have one in addition to PTA. I know the one I was on as the token student voice would've dealt with this sort of thing.

[Bonobo]

9. Let's give these mini-Hitlers a wake-up call on Monday. Keep kicked. Here's the phone numbers again.

Dr. Ben Nowakowski, Superintendent
District 201
2423 South Austin, Cicero, IL 60804
bnowakowski (at) jsmorton.org

[phone]

Mr. Lucas, Principal
Morton West High School
2400 S. Home Ave.
Berwyn, IL 60402
jlucas (at) west.jsmorton.org

708-222-5901

Mr. Jeffry Pesek, President
Board of Education, District 201
3145 South 55th Avenue
Cicero, IL 60804

708-802-1863

For the rest of the Board Members see:
www.jsmortonhs.com/board/default.asp

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. They are being expelled for having a social consciense?

Yeah, that makes sense! :sarcasm:

[Bonobo]

11. A Fascist Quilt is composed of many smaller scraps of Fascism. Let's tear 'em piece by piece.

Here is an example, a perfect example, of how Fascism takes over a society, and before you tell me I am over-reacting, let me tell YOU something. These things need to be looked at in the larger context of what is happening in this country and NOT as an isolated incident.

Let's stop it at the micro-scale.

[Bonobo]

20. Kicked for action tomorrow!

[Bonobo]

22. kick.

[danimich1]

12. Wow. That's where I went to high school.

I would have joined in, had it happened when I went there. I'm not surprised about how the students are being treated, though. That was quite a conservative town when I lived there, so maybe things are changing. Thanks for posting this.

[davsand]

13. I'd have been there with my kid, so would her Dad.

I was reading the article and thought to myself, "well, sounds like I'd have been arrested." I know full well that if the school called me about my kid being involved in ANY sort of organized non-violent action, I'd have gone to support her.

My kid (she is ten years old!) on her own initiative organized her 5th grade class to Trick or Treat for UNICEF this year. They collected at school (with the blessing and cooperation of the teacher and the school) during the afternoon on Halloween.

Our daughter has been on union picket lines with us and she volunteers (by her own choice) over summers at a local health care consumer group. When there have been rallies or protests that we felt were safe enough to take her along, she has been there with us. We talk about the right to assemble and our obligation as citizens to act and speak out in support of our ideals.

I refuse to let some school administrators tell my kid we are wrong to exercise our right to speak out in organized non-violent action. If she was expelled for her action then I guess we would home school or pay tuition to someplace that wasn't gonna erode our values.


Laura

[Richard Steele]

15. Grrrecommended

[Hawkowl]

16. Un-elect the school board

If they get a petition together with several hundred names threatening massive voter retaliation along with the firing of the superintendent, he should back down instantly. Most school board members are only elected by a few hundred total votes.

[knitter4democracy]

18. Very true--that often makes things happen.

I'm sure there are two or three board members who are key supporters of the supt. Go after them.

[Bozita]

19. Recall laws vary by state.

My state requires petition signatures only need to be 10% of the total school board vote in the most recent school board election.

One community needed only 60 sigs to get a recall election.

[UndertheOcean]

21. kick

n/t