Editorial by Robert Anderson Publisher
Has the Lee County School Administrators lost their XXXXXXX minds? Who is kidding who?
The most respected basketball coaching staff that Lehigh Senior has ever had, and now they are suspended until further notice!!!!!!
A group of nine teenage boys suspended from school for five days and from all sports for the rest of the school year.
For what? Please tell me somebody actual broke law or did something to someone.
No. Well then, So what the Fxxk!
Nine Lehigh Senior boys basketball players produced a profane and sexually explicit two-minute rap video last Thursday night then posted on social media. Not to make light of the video because it embarrassed the kids, their families, the team and the school. But that’s it!!!!
That’s all it was and that’s all they did. It was not illegal and it harmed no one. It was in VERY poor taste, inappropriate and VERY embarrassing.
Well then let’s throw the WHOLE book at the players, in Lehigh Principal Jackie Corey’s own words, some “exemplary kids.”
There is nothing in the Lee County schools Code of Conduct that justifies this extensive a punishment for either the coaches or the students. Nothing!!!!!!! The maximum penalty for what these kids were guilty of is a two-day suspension.
They do have the right under the law of FREEDOM OF SPEECH, in good taste or bad taste, inappropriate and embarrassing the nine player still have the right under the United States Constitution.
“The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.”
Making matters worse, the Lee County School District Administrators didn’t stand up with Principal Corey they went over her head and ordered her to give players the extended punishment and suspend the coaches.
Until proven otherwise, the coaches did nothing wrong except not suspending the kids for Wednesday night’s playoff game vs. Estero. (In which Lehigh Senior Win that Game with their JV unit).
All actions have consequences and these kids needed to pay an on-court price for what they did. The Code of Conduct two-day suspension (Rule 48 — Other Violations — 1st major offense) and missing a district semifinal playoff game is a fairly significant punishment from where I come from. But a five-day suspension and no more sports for the rest of the year? That’s a scandal.
This is yet another example of absolute power, corrupting absolutely at the Lee County School Board. Lehigh Senior principal Corey spent all day Wednesday saying this was a joint decision in conjunction with the school board and her hands were tied, yet every time anyone from Lehigh Acres Gazette contacted a school district official they said this decision was HERS ALONE. Why the difference?
Absolute power, corrupting absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As for the nine players and coaches they didn’t deserve all of this!!!!!!!!!!
Completely disagree. The video was filmed on school property by a school athletic team with school staff present. The involved staff should be terminated post haste; totally inexcusable. The kids are NOT “children” who don’t know right from wrong, what’s acceptable and what’s not. Playing sports is a privilege. Their behavior brings disgrace to basketball team, to Lehigh Senior High and to the community at large. Lehigh has enough to be ashamed of with the amount of crime we experience here. This action is unacceptable. That being said, suspending the kids from academics for 5 days is a bit much (I understand they have been reinstated so that’s no longer an issue.) Actions have consequences. Choices have consequences. Bad choices should lead to bad results for all concerned. I only feel sorry for the team members and the school community who were not directly involved in that they suffer the results of the actions of a few. We are all in this together and we must police the behavior of our own.
Shame on the individuals involved and especially the staff who condoned it.