[Peace] Fwd: [Amasong-singers] NCB: Students in Berwyn, IL, to be expelled for anti-war protest

[Brian Dolinar]

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BD

On 11/6/07, Barbara kessel <barkes at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Subject: Fwd: [Amasong-singers] NCB: Students in Berwyn, IL, to be
> expelled for anti-war protest
> To:
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Jay Mittenthal <mitten at life.uiuc.edu>
>
>
> >Over 37 and possibly up to 70 high school students at Morton West
> >High School in Berrwyn, IL currently face either expulsion or
> >suspension over an Antiwar Sitin on November 1, 2007.
> >
> >A petition by SDS is started
> >here:   http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?mortonw
> >
> >More info is
> >here:  http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/80059/index.php
> >
> >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
> _______________________________________________
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>



-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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