Getting arrested at a school board meeting for speaking up? Would it matter if this school was on post? Would the MP's do this?

2014-05-06T13:53:34-04:00

This man is arrested for going over his 2 minutes in a school board meeting and asked to leave by the police. The issue was that the school issued a book that had a graphic sexual encounter in it with no notification to the parents. The father was outraged and they had the nerve to tell him to be respectful.
Are post schools regulated any differently than civilian school? Do you think the MP's would have handled this situation the same way. I certainly would have not been as calm as this guy and if I was there I probably would of chimed in too.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/05/06/watch-what-happens-when-one-parent-speaks-out-at-a-school-board-meeting-about-a-controversial-book-assigned-to-his-daughter/

Watch What Happens When One Parent Speaks Out at a School Board Meeting About a Controversial...

A New Hampshire parent was arrested at a Monday night school board meeting after he voiced outrage his ninth grade daughter was assigned a book that contains a page detailing a graphic sexual encounter. — Scroll down for video — Gilford school officials claim the...

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2014 2:06 PM

2014-05-06T14:06:33-04:00

The issue is troubling, and the parent made a comment referring to parents being trated as custodians and the educational system being a victim of their own "we know best" mentality.
That being said, I believe that in order to bring about change in a positive manner, there are right and wrong ways to do it. I believe that it was irresponsible of the educators to assign a book that is not age-appropriate, but there are right and wrong ways to to protest. The man could have made a bigger impact by approaching it from a different direction.

I can't say I would feel any different. I would be just as concerned. The man was in the right and the school board exhibited signs of malicious compliance and power drunk. Educators should place parental approval as one of the top priorities in determining what is appropriate. Rough sex between two teenagers graphically depicted in a book with bold imagery is not age appropriate and should be elective, not mandatory. Leave that power with the parents. Have an alternative assignment with an alternate book to choose.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2014 2:09 PM

2014-05-06T14:09:14-04:00

Unless it is a DODDS school it will be managed by the local school district. As far as I know the only DODDS schools are overseas, but I could be mistaken.

As for the book, I looked into the excerpts in question and I would at least like to be notified of the book reading before it took place. As a parent I should be allowed to exempt my child from anything I deem inappropriate. What went wrong here was not the book, it was that parents were not notified properly.

Response by MAJ Dallas D. made May 6 at 2014 3:38 PM

2014-05-06T15:38:17-04:00

I am very afraid it is only going to get worse with Common Core. I have 2 boys in elementary school and go over as much as I can with them. We as parents must be involved or the "we know best" mentality will only get worse.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2014 3:55 PM

2014-05-06T15:55:35-04:00

Its an interesting question. But to answer your original question(s):

1. Getting arrested at a school board for speaking up? While its more of a statement rather than a question, but if the question your asking is can you? Yes, if head of the facility or chair of the meeting were to call and claim you were disrupting a meeting or authorized gathering then the person "could" be apprehended under Art 134 UCMJ, Disorderly Conduct. And you are on a military installation.

2. Well yes it would matter as military police soldiers have no authority off the installation, unless the president has declared martial law and suspended Posse Comitatus Act.

3. Would the MPs do this? Yes, if we respond to an incident where we are called and observe the act, we would be required by UCMJ to execute our duties.

I see this question a lot and coming up in other areas of these forum questions. MP soldiers while we have some latitude in the disposition of some minor incidents, if the complainant, wishes to file a formal complaint then we are duty bound to execute our duty. It doesnt mean we like it, doesnt even mean we agree with it, but we have a sworn duty.

In this particular case, I agree that the father had every right to be upset and even voice his concern over the reading assignment given his daughter. While I agree that the response was heavy handed but don't demonize the officer for doing his duty. He to was sworn and he also has to execute that duty. If he had been verbally abusive or physically abusive that would be a different story but from other accounts I have read that none of that was present.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2014 5:19 PM

2014-05-06T17:19:51-04:00

I am sick and tired of officials being rude. The lady speaking should be fired along with the cop.

Response by SGT Craig Northacker made May 6 at 2014 9:26 PM

2014-05-06T21:26:21-04:00

School districts are bizarre, and there is very little rhyme or reason to their decisions. I have spent many hours trying to resolve problems, and there are more idiots than there are helpful folks out there. In NY where I live, superintendents make north of $ 250,000 per year. Not sure why, and no-one has ever answered the question. It reminds me of the discussions between fleet line officers and their aviation counterparts when asked about what the aviators do to earn their pay. The aviators replied with great verve what they do to earn their flight pay, whereupon the line officers, suitably impressed, agreed, but then asked what they did to earn their base pay.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2014 1:46 PM

2014-05-07T13:46:03-04:00

There are DOD schools in CONUS. I was elected and served on the Fort Bragg School board when I was stationed there. There was a open session at each one of the school board meetings for parents to address any issues. On the agenda it was listed for a certain amount of time but for any parent that had an issue we would more than happily listen to them. Their is no reason for someone to be cut off just because of a time requirment unless they are not saying anything new and are just repeating themself again and again. The right thing to do would be to set up a seperate meeting with any concerned paerents and listen to their grieviences and work out the issue. My personal belief is yes it was pornographic in nature and should not be in the schools.

Response by SPC(P) Thomas Beliveau made May 10 at 2014 4:45 PM

2014-05-10T16:45:39-04:00

SSG,

It seems like the man was being disruptive if they had to ask him to be respectful. Also, when a cop tells you to do something and you refuse and say you'll have to arrest me, then you shouldn't be shocked when you get arrested. That actually got a laugh out me. I think that the man might have been a little more disruptive then the article seems, and disorderly conduct is a thing.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made May 12 at 2014 1:29 AM

2014-05-12T01:29:14-04:00

I am an MP, and I would not have apprehended him unless my supervisor told me too. By the time I got there, he might be gone or at least sitting in his seat and being quite, and at that point I am not going to recommend apprehension unless I witnessed him displaying disorderly conduct in public however, I do not think speaking outside of his allotted time qualifies as disorderly conduct.