7-year-old branded 'racist' for asking student about skin colour

[Goober]

That's all well and good, but where was it established that his question was discriminating against an identifiable group?

This is where effort comes into play.

I said nothing about "laziness".

Effort is not part of the eqation. The crux of the problem is policies run amuck. That is life for the past 20years or so in the UK. That is the point that no one is understanding.
In Canada we have instances of policies that are not well thought out and implemented rigidly, but no where near as many as they do in the UK.

Do some google checks and you will find out how rampant it is.
This is one reason why the British Nationalist Party has such a large membership. Partly due to rules such as we are discussing.

 

[CDNBear]

Effort is not part of the eqation.

It most certainly is. Fear of reprisal, or accusation, is what causes some people to acquiesce, and give in to such erroneous claims.

A little effort would have had reasoned people telling her to go pound salt.

It's not the fault of a zero tolerance policy in a school. That's the fault of people not willing to apply themselves, self preservation being more important, re; effort, for the arrogant hypocrites here.

 

[Cannuck]

 

[petros]

In another 10 generations nearly all kids will look like this:

 

[CDNBear]

Your hypocrisy aside. I didn't set a goal. But I can understand how your admitted stupidity would force you to think that.

 

[Machjo]

In another 10 generations nearly all kids will look like this:

I doubt it very much. There've been a few cases of a gene remaining dormant for a few generations and then coming up with a vengeance. For example, white parents giving birth to a black kid. While in many cases the kid comes out somewhere in between, they do sometimes end up taking on one parent's traits and not the others, or even more surprisingly, neither parents' traits but a grand-parent's instead.

 

[Goober]

It most certainly is. Fear of reprisal, or accusation, is what causes some people to acquiesce, and give in to such erroneous claims.

A little effort would have had reasoned people telling her to go pound salt.

It's not the fault of a zero tolerance policy in a school. That's the fault of people not willing to apply themselves, self preservation being more important, re; effort, for the arrogant hypocrites here.

Based upon what the repercussions have been for others that did indeed step up to the plate. When you know it - the policy is dumb - it does not matter what you in the end think as that is not allowed. Common sense, hanging people out to dry, is what happens and people then say - nothing I can do about it.

This is the left wing PC idiots paying to much attention to people who blow things all out of proportion. Well that is what they get. Policies that causes more division as people are not permitted to think, only to react as per dictate.

 

[CDNBear]

Policies that causes more division as people are not permitted to think, only to react as per dictate.

I more or less agree with the rest of your post, this is the point I question.

That is not what zero tolerance policy dictates.

It dictates, that when accounts of bullying or racism are made known. The authorities have to take action.

That doesn't mean they have to agree with the complainant.

 

[Machjo]

I more or less agree with the rest of your post, this is the point I question.

That is not what zero tolerance policy dictates.

It dictates, that when accounts of bullying or racism are made known. The authorities have to take action.

That doesn't mean they have to agree with the complainant.

That would depend on the details of the law in question of course, but I would hope the law be well-worded.

As to the law referred to in the OP, I have no idea, but the exact wording of that law would determine whether the school overreacted or whether the law itself is just too inflexible. At the end of the day, the school has no option but to obey the law no matter how ridiculous it might be.

 

[Goober]

I more or less agree with the rest of your post, this is the point I question.

That is not what zero tolerance policy dictates.

It dictates, that when accounts of bullying or racism are made known. The authorities have to take action.

That doesn't mean they have to agree with the complainant.

Untill people can educate themselves as to how these policies impact in the UK, we will have more of these self same, good intentioned policies arrive in canada and we are just reinventing the wheel. Problems and all.

Remember the prayer room for Muslims - temporary policy in Ont. - this makes the 9 or 10 year mark for a temp policy - based upon they wanted to see how it worked.

But it was seen as catering to a religious group and excluding others.

 

[petros]

I doubt it very much. There've been a few cases of a gene remaining dormant for a few generations and then coming up with a vengeance. For example, white parents giving birth to a black kid. While in many cases the kid comes out somewhere in between, they do sometimes end up taking on one parent's traits and not the others, or even more surprisingly, neither parents' traits but a grand-parent's instead.

2 generations for reference?

 

[CDNBear]

That would depend on the details of the law in question of course, but I would hope the law be well-worded.

As to the law referred to in the OP, I have no idea, but the exact wording of that law would determine whether the school overreacted or whether the law itself is just too inflexible. At the end of the day, the school has no option but to obey the law no matter how ridiculous it might be.

I'm going by what was mentioned by MP Karl Turner. But I am looking through the policies at the Dept for Education, UK. For a better handle on what the policy outlines, explicitly.

 

[Goober]

I'm going by what was mentioned by MP Karl Turner. But I am looking through the policies at the Dept for Education, UK. For a better handle on what the policy outlines, explicitly.

That is where it can get tricky. Govt also ceded a host of powers to local councils. Makes for a not me, talk to the other guy scenario when looking for a clear answer.

 

[CDNBear]

That is where it can get tricky. Govt also ceded a host of powers to local councils. Makes for a not me, talk to the other guy scenario when looking for a clear answer.

Tell me about it. And quite auspiciously, the section on racism seems to be down at the Dept of Education, UK's site.

 

[Machjo]

2 generations for reference?

What do you mean?

It only takes two generations. If that can happen, then we're not likely ever to just all look alike as some kind of middle-of-the-road race, since it increases the chances that even in mixed race marraiges, teh children could still take on clear racial characteristics, whatever the skin colour.

 

[WLDB]

Incredibly stupid.

 

[TenPenny]

A definition (note that it does not mention 'taking action', it mentions punishing ANY infraction of the rule).

A zero-tolerance policy in schools is a policy of punishing any infraction of a rule, regardless of accidental mistakes, ignorance, or extenuating circumstances.

So, once a rule has been broken (ie, bullying or racism), there is no option but to apply punishment.
That's what zero tolerance means, which is why I say it takes away the requirement to think.

In this case, a kid's feelings were hurt, he cries racism, therefore there must be a punishment.
No tolerance for any other option, it's not in the rules.

 

[Machjo]

A definition (note that it does not mention 'taking action', it mentions punishing ANY infraction of the rule).

A zero-tolerance policy in schools is a policy of punishing any infraction of a rule, regardless of accidental mistakes, ignorance, or extenuating circumstances.

So, once a rule has been broken (ie, bullying or racism), there is no option but to apply punishment.
That's what zero tolerance means, which is why I say it takes away the requirement to think.

In this case, a kid's feelings were hurt, he cries racism, therefore there must be a punishment.
No tolerance for any other option, it's not in the rules.

If (and I say If that is the rule, since I have nor read the law in question), then you're absolutely right. The school would not be at fault since it would merely be doing what it is legally mandated to do even if the school itself thinks it's idiculous, in which case the blame would lie in teh law itself.

 

[CDNBear]

A definition (note that it does not mention 'taking action', it mentions punishing ANY infraction of the rule).

A zero-tolerance policy in schools is a policy of punishing any infraction of a rule, regardless of accidental mistakes, ignorance, or extenuating circumstances.

So, once a rule has been broken (ie, bullying or racism), there is no option but to apply punishment.
That's what zero tolerance means, which is why I say it takes away the requirement to think.

In this case, a kid's feelings were hurt, he cries racism, therefore there must be a punishment.
No tolerance for any other option, it's not in the rules.

There stills has to be an actual act. You aren't addressing that, you are addressing the single point that an accusation was made, by the child's mother, not that child.

Someone in a position of authority had to believe it was a racist question.

Zero tolerant policy doesn't have a list of approved racist and non racist questions to peruse in these instances.

Whether or not it's a legitimate complaint, has to be established.

If it were as you seem to be saying, under Ontario Safe Schools act zero tolerance policy, any kid accused of racism, or bullying, would be instantly guilty. I'm trying to dig up the UK's school policy on this, but their web site is a maze of blather.

That simply isn't the case.

If (and I say If that is the rule, since I have nor read the law in question), then you're absolutely right. The school would not be at fault since it would merely be doing what it is legally mandated to do even if the school itself thinks it's idiculous, in which case the blame would lie in teh law itself.

Of course the law is to blame, partially.

Zero tolerance policy as a whole is not.

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

In another 10 generations nearly all kids will look like this:

That's the dream of the multiculturalists, one big happy beige family. I've heard Americans say this, but not Canadians. Gotta be all those Mexicans flooding across the border into the USA. But they do seem so happy. Work on your suntan.