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I notice that Mrs. Henry has
I notice that Mrs. Henry has not yet invoked a total school assembly and informed the entire student body of what consequences they face, permanent expulsion and criminal charges leveled, if they are found to be involved in the actions against Tiffany. These actions could also be considered 'hate crimes' and could have some rather serious results against those who indulge in them. I am wondering how many of the student body actually knows what is going on and how many are for or against Tiffany? Jan
The school is still not addressing the underlying issue
... that there is an underlying hatred beyond reason by the students. Maybe it is an inconvenience, but I am surprised the entire school is not subject to some form of diversity training. If you cannot find the particular perpetrators then try to reach them by training ALL of them and you can literally watch the attitudes of those in the audience so you know who to look out for. Tiff is NOT exactly anonymous at this point to say the least. The school should carry on its mission: teaching.
This is kinda analogous to chemotherapy where you poison the entire body to get rid of the disease even though it hurts ALL the cells of the body but the healthy cells can tolerate it better than the cancer.
Kim
Wrong focus
Everyone seems more focused on protecting Tiffany's stuff than on protecting Tiffany. Way back when Mrs. Henry was assistant Principal it was suggested that she or Mrs. Hinter be standing in the hallway between Tiffany's classes. Why hasn't she done this? Or what is the School Resource Officer doing, sitting in an office eating donuts and drinking coffee?
Also why wasn't the School Resource Officer contacted about either the tampon or pad? Both of those are biologically dangerous and definitely should have been collected as evidence.
.....
“Tiffany, really… enjoy it. It probably means that you’re going to be one of those girls that when you hit thirty people will still think you might be under twenty. You’re going to have the gift of always looking about ten years younger than everyone else.†She said that with a smile.
Tiffany should have replied to this by asking if she looked TWO. :P
Why do I get the feeling...
...that matters are about to come to a head, before Christmas?
The teachers will need to be extra-vigilant, and religiously do their supervision duties.
At least Tiffany has a good support network of friends around her at school.
Prejudiced Strike
Bike Archive
Bike Resources
Excellent ramping up of the
Excellent ramping up of the plot.
A simple camera in the locker would show who was doing the nasty stuff.
Moving her locker to a better spot - not segregating her would be a better option.
She's really down in the dumps and it isn't her fault.
There has to be a lot of people who see the notes being posted and maxi pads being left - not just the perpetrators.
A public statement of intent on bullying would help the bad seeds know that they faced a lot of persecution if they get caught.
DNA testing is another option - there's a lot of DNA on a maxi pad.
The excuse of 'someone must have taken it out of the bin, I didn't do it' is not possible as Jeyes fluid (seriously blue and toxic) is used in the bins to stop that sort of thing being done.
Well done - keep it coming!!!
Jeyes fluid
is not readily-available in the USA. The typical arrangement in public bathrooms is a small box lined with a plastic bag in which one places sanitary pads or tampons, usually well-wrapped in toilet tissue, one box in every stall. There is no fluid of any sort, much less a disinfectant.
They're usually about nine inches wide and simply flip open at the top. There's no effort made to keep them "safe," since few people would think to rummage about in one.
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Amy's father is doing the
Amy's father is doing the right thing. With a formal complaint the school will have to do something. Hopefully this will bear fruit before something bad happens to Tiffany... Somehow, I doubt it though.
Wonderful chapter Tiffany! :)
Saless
"But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend." - Eddie Murphy, Coming To America
The school...
Low tech ideas:
a) There is supposed to be a teacher covering the locker area. She wasn't present. So where was she?
b) Tiffany's locker was apparently out of the teacher's sight. So either move the teacher to where the locker is visible or move the locker into the teacher's sight.
c) It must have taken some time to deposit those notes. Does the school do lesson registration as well as am/pm registration? If so, interview those who were in school but not in lessons.
d) If it was known the notes were deposited at a specific time, gather together everyone who was in the area at the time, give them a sheet of paper, and ask them to write down anything untoward they saw. If several pupils from different areas of the classroom write corroborating accounts implicating someone, ask them what they were doing at the time - and check their handwriting (in one of their exercise books) against the notes. [1]
e) The school already knows two pupils who've done this kind of thing in the past. Monitor their movements between classes.
f) Couple any combination of the above with the whole school assembly to warn pupils of the consequences.
Because the longer this goes on, the more it will escalate, as the perpetrator gains ever more confidence that no-one can catch them. The school's idea in a previous episode that she move elsewhere was unbelievable - even if she wasn't involved in so many activities, that should be unthinkable, as that is precisely what the perpetrator wants to happen. And if the perpetrator can "get rid of" one pupil they don't like, they'll see it as carte blanche to intimidate other pupils they don't like into leaving. After all, they've "got away" with it once, so they're very likely to "get away" with it again, and again, and again...
[1] This can work. Once, when I was a school IT technician, as a class were preparing to enter the classroom for a lesson, someone thought it would be a good idea to flip the master switch on the distribution board about 8' up the wall. Nobody claimed responsibility, but once they were seated in the classroom, the Head of Year was called and used this method to extract the name of the perpetrator, who was handed a 3 day FPE (fixed period exclusion). Elsewhere in the school, the same process worked when someone thought it would be fun to trigger the fire alarm at one of those "break glass" switches.
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
School differences
From the descriptions Tiffany has given, this school seems to run as my Junior High did. Classes run for about an hour, then all are released, that puts nearly 700 students in the hallways at one time, all moving around the school to get to their next class or not. Finding which students were in the area of Tiffany's locker would be very difficult if not impossible.
As Tiffany said in the book, she doesn't go to her locker often, so the notes could have been placed over a long period of time, plus having dropped off a few notes into lockers, it takes a fraction of a second to slip one in. Several students dropping off more than one at a time, could drop off 50 or so notes in a matter of minutes. The pad wouldn't take any more time because of the sticky backing.
a,b,e and f should have been done. c,d aren't likely.
[1] The school would be subject to many lawsuits if it tried to question all the kids in the way you suggested.
I agree with you
The ACLU would more likely come down on the side of the students if the school tried to get a court ordered DNA sampling. The sampling is too broad and undefined. Putting a camera in a locker room might be a problem, too, since it is a blatant violation of privacy. Not to say that they shouldn't have access, but that the implementation of any of these suggestions regarding monitoring would be met with a very strong legal challenge. It would seem that the previous issue of who did what may be irretrievable barring any admission or the appearance of a witness. What others have suggested seems more realistic; that someone from the school would be responsible for monitoring alertly and with accountability. That would also be a tall order, considering the size of the school and the limitations of budget and staff. In New Jersey we have layoffs occurring and even some schools discussing abandoning their sports programs altogether. Trying to find several staff members to monitor a school with over 700 students might be problematic.
The ACLU likely would have to be notified before they would get involved, unless it's a high profile well publicized case, which apart from community, this doesn't appear to be. Again, they might be more inclined to represent the entire student body's right to privacy over the needs of one student.
She was born for all the wrong reasons but grew up for all the right ones.
Con grande amore e di affetto, Andrea Lena
Love, Andrea Lena
Respectfully disagree
I respectfully disagree, Andrea.
First, these pads and tampons are left in plain sight. Evidence rules stipulate that this isn't an invasion of privacy, but the school *would* need a court order should they require a blood sample to compare DNA.
Second, the hallways are a public area. Some schools are forced to put cameras in the hallways due to violence, drug deals, etc. Remember the coverage of the Columbine murders? Putting a camera in Tiffany's locker, or above it is perfectly legal in my view.
Third, Tiffany's parents have a perfect right to sue the school for violation of Title IX, not to mention various harassment charges. New Mexico does have a hate crime law *with* gender identity coverage, so it's a wonder Tiffany's lawyer hasn't notified the state.
Fourth, students are submitting hand-written essays all the time. It should be a simple matter to make scans of every student's paper and/or have a team of teachers compare these notes to their student's essays. I believe it would take a certified expert to make an official ruling in court, but any lawyer worth their salt would put a teacher on the stand, see that they see the accused handwriting every day.
I'm as much a defender of civil rights as the most vehement member of the ACLU, Andrea, and I don't see any of these remedies as a violation of civil rights. Now had the cameras been in the *locker room*, that I would say is an invitation of privacy.
From what I could see, some of the comments actually
called for cameras in the locker room. I'm sorry if I got that wrong. What I was trying to say, and i seemed to have gone way afield to make a big mistake is that someone would likely atemept to argue in favor of civil rights; I don't believe for an instant that it is a violation, only that there would be immediate opposition.
She was born for all the wrong reasons but grew up for all the right ones.
Con grande amore e di affetto, Andrea Lena
Love, Andrea Lena
Time Frame
Hi All,
Wow! I'm really amazed by the comments, and glad that everyone is so thoroughly taken with everything. I'm planning on writing a post on the blog portion of this site tomorrow with answers to some of the things people have been speaking of, but I would to just point out that this is Pre-Columbine. Prior to that time bullying was all but ignored in many, if not most schools. It took an incredibly tragic incident to bring the issues to the table.
Also this story happened prior to the law that you refer to as well.
Like I said, I will be posting an entry trying to answer some of your questions that have been popping up. I'm working a bit on that tonight and should have it up tomorrow I hope.
Thank you all for all of the comments, and most important to me, your concern for Tiffany. I hope you all continue to enjoy the book as I post it.
-Tiffany Shar :-)
Dreaming of Cheers
I say that the 'teacher' who was 'supposed' to be watching actually looked away when the deeds were done. I do hope that it doesn't take physical harm for the school to do anything, because if so, a lot of people in the state's education program will be sued, if not fired and jailed for conspiracy. Where is the A.C.L.U.? Surely they could get something done.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
How to Stop the Bullies
A clever girl like Tiffany should have the sudden idea to put a minute CCTV camera inside the locker, that will record the bigots when they stuff their insults into the locker. The school then has the offenders caught red-handed.
And yes, I agree with all who have suggested that the school is negligent in failing to give the pupils lessons in tolerance diversity and respect, and teach that bullying will result in expulsion, zero tolerance, absolutely.
I wish such devices had been around when I was bullied at school. Anyone who has not experienced it has no idea what a nightmare going to school is when you are being threatened with death. Even if adults think it is unlikely kids will actually go that far, it is enough that the child believes it. I had a rope put round my neck and pulled tight. When I felt the windpipe closing and not being able to breathe, i went mad and a large boy was lying on the ground where his head hit a stone as I tore the rope off my neck. Terrified that I had killed him (he was knocked out!) I ran two miles or so all the way home, barracaded myself in my bedroom with furniture against the door, and would not move them until a teacher came to tell me the bully was not dead. The incident actually did me some good as I was not the only one he had picked on and he lost all his credibility when a squirt like me had felled him so!
Before that, complaints to the Headmistress about some of them grabbing me and threatening to throw me in the river, resulted in her telling me to say "I dare you to!" - She was so out of touch she thought none of her "nice children" would ever do that, they were "only teasing"!
OK, that was back in the 1940s, and in 50 years things have gotten a bit better - freaks like me are even tolerated a wee bit, and bullying is officially disapproved of, but it still goes on.
Well, I have had my wee rant, so now may I say how much I am enjoying these tales of Tiffany and how much I appreciate Ms Shar letting us all read them. The main characters are so nice, the plots are thick with excitement and the local colour makes them very realistic.
Briar
Briar
With the
need to protect Tiffany becoming ever more urgent , It does surprise me that no attempt so far, Seems to have been made to catch the culprits red-handed. Surely it should not have been beyond the teachers to come up with a plan to let suspects free at certain times when only they would be capable of posting notes on Tiffany's locker, And then hopefully catch them red-handed...
Mind you now that Tiffany no longer has a locker, Any move to catch someone will become much more difficult, And then the worry being that with the option of posting notes gone, Whoever is behind all of this will be thinking more of carrying out their threats....Worrying, Very worrying....
Kirri
Actions
Mrs. Henry means well, which is an enormous improvement over the last principal. But I'm sorry to say that she looks incompetent, or maybe she's SO short on resources that her hands are tied? A wild claim if you ask me. Or maybe some teachers are looking the other way, as Stan said. If so, I want their windpipes crushed, preferably slowly.
Moving Tiff's stuff out of the locker was a terrible move for everyone except the perpetrators. Now they have one less target to hit besides Tiff herself...see where I'm going here? Also, the idea of a small camera isn't that far-fetched; Amy's family is well-off, and everyone made tons of money from the Barbie movie. At the very least, a small camera hidden in or above the locker. At best, get some high-tech stuff. No one will see it coming.
What has me *raging inside* though, is why they haven't called a General Assembly yet. Threats on the life of a student have been made, repeatedly. That is more than reason enough to drag the whole school together in the gymnasium, and let them know of the consequences of their actions. I'm talking immediate expulsion, and pressing charges.
Are they really stupid enough to wait until Tiff gets attacked? She's just a kid, if harm comes to her while the adults around her do nothing, it could break her. She's a strong kid but I feel she's at the edge right now.
/rant over
The fact that I'm so emotional about the story means that you're certainly doing something right. Thanks for the good read Tiffany!
-Christelle
"Fun-loving geek-chick who's addicted to sunlight!"
-Christelle
"Fun-loving geek-chick who's addicted to sunlight!"
WHY DO PEOPLE HATE US!!!!
WHY DO PEOPLE HATE US!!!! All we want is to be ourselfs!!! Just doing all the things she has to do to be her true self, Tiffany dosen't need all this S%#t!!!
Why do they care, it is not like we do this to hurt them!!! Sometimes I wish I could go someplace that was just for trans people!!! But that is just a dream!!!
Pamela
hate crimes mentioned
The story line runs mid 90s IE 1995
and the autoress has mentioned this many times hmm same as me but you're writing all yer comments up to a year or more before I have
couple of stats of interest.
New Mexico passed a hate crimes bill in 2003.
New Mexico passed a GID & sexual hate crimes in 2003
Oregon never had one till bout two yrs ago.
only 12 states have hate crimes bills enacted as of 2010.
meaning GENDER IDENITY PLUS SEXUAL ORientation
18 states have sexual orientation laws, but none for gender idenity
15 states have laws for hate crimes, but dont include GID or Sexual orientation
5 states still do not have any laws for hate crimes.