Mother of HS Senior sues school for rejecting yearbook photo

[Mauler]

Wow.....

Maybe it's a good thing that school doesn't have a fencing team....

[RoninX]

The decision doesn't defy common sense.

While I absolutely disagree and abhor the climate of abrogation of responsibility that school boards create when they put in these "no tolerance" policies, all rules of this type assume rampant stupidity is the norm: once they are on the books they have to be enforced.

Additionally, to carry this to the extreme in weapons: if a kid had posed fondling an AK-47, or wearing a vest of explosives then most people would not consider that appropriate, right? Given that this school board has deemed all weapon-like substances, or representations inappropriate I don't see how he could think he could get away with this.

It is the school's publication and I doubt they are under any obligation to include every student (or senior) picture. Therefore these people are wasting their own, and taxpayer, money that could be better used buying chain mail for needy SCAers all over the country who will have to fight their mock battles with layered cardboard and trashcan lids this holiday season.

[Philistine]

Two things from the article (both are assertions by the plaintiff and not necessarily admitted by the school) which seem to further make the school's position silly:

The complaint says there is nothing in the weapons policy that would apply to the picture Agin submitted. It also says the weapons policy is arbitrarily enforced, noting theatrical plays at the school have included prop weapons and that the mascot — a patriot — is depicted on school grounds and publications as carrying a weapon.

and

According to the lawsuit, principal Robert Littlefield told Farrington she could pay to put the photo in the advertising section of the book, but he would not allow it as Agin's senior portrait.

Whether the school's silliness is worth fighting about to get your picture in the yearbook in chainmail with a sword is a seperate issue....

--Philistine

[mrbiggs]

I don't know if the no weapons policy or the lawsuit over a yearbook photo is sillier.

[ThatReallyHurt]

This stuff blows me away. How is not allowing the kid to use that picture so incredibly bad that it requires a lawsuit?

I wish I was a fly on the wall in the conference room 15 years from now when the kid is competing against twenty other people for a promotion and his yearbook photo makes the rounds. Five bucks says we'll see something like this:

"Mom of Deputy Department Head Sues Over Son's Non-Promotion, Claims Due to 'Innocent Mistake' Fifteen Years Ago"


I'm all for asking "why" and making sure you're getting fair treatment, but man - you've got to apply common sense when picking your battles.

[AllenJ]

Id disallow it on the grounds of massive historical inaccuracy, but that's just me!

[MyrddinsPrecint]

This stuff blows me away. How is now allowing the kid to use that picture so incredibly bad that it requires a lawsuit?

Portsmouth is one of the wealthiest parts of Rhode Island. Obviously I know nothing about this family.... But it wouldn't suprise me if they had so much money that this was just something to do with it..........

[The Rose Knight]

The article reads as though the student wanted his official picture to be in his SCA garb. If I'm off base in this, someone please tell me.

My oldest son is high school age and we didn't get to submit a photo as his "yearbook" photo; they brought in a photographer and took the picture. That is what they did back when I was in high school as well.

Needless to say the whole thing sounds moronic. Mom should have her suit thrown out and charged court cost for being an idiot and the school should simply not take photos not taken by the photographer whom they hired.

If the photo was submitted as one of those miscelaneous photos that go into school yearbooks to show life at school, it should still be rejected, as the SCA has nothing to do with life at that school.

[parrythis]

Some people have just too much free time on their hands.

[restlesscheese]

My oldest son is high school age and we didn't get to submit a photo as his "yearbook" photo; they brought in a photographer and took the picture. That is what they did back when I was in high school as well.

If the photo was submitted as one of those miscelaneous photos that go into school yearbooks to show life at school, it should still be rejected, as the SCA has nothing to do with life at that school.

My school was the same way. Senior yearbook photos were required to be formal dress, guys in black tux and bowtie, girls in black dress, but the pictures could be taken by any photographer. The school did have a recommended photographer, though, so most people went there.

I think the kid having to be different than everyone else would make the class look less professional and snazzy in the yearbook, which was probably part of the decision on the school's behalf, if I assume correctly.

Mind you, I'm no SCA freak, but I do make maille, and sometimes wear it for halloween/special occasions, but senior pics? That's pushing it waaay too far.

[introspective]

Maybe we should stop called foils, epees and sabres 'weapons' therefore schools won't mind bringing fencing clubs into the school.

[Go? Fencing?]

Senior pictures at my school could be taken by anyone, but you'd get a better deal if you went to the school's preferred photographer (his daughter was in my class). You could pose however you want and wear pretty much anything (don't know the rules)- people have been known to pose with their guitar, pets, lots of stuff. I would have posed in fencing gear if I'd thought of it.

[Westley]

You crrrrrazy peoples. Let him pose with the frigging sword. Honestly, who gives a crap. It's honestly important to the family for god knows what reason. But it is. So let 'em do it. Are they afraid it's going to cause the moral fabric of society to fall apart? Will nazis ride dinosaurs if they put in his picture? Will gang violence sweep the school, killing everyone and everything?

Refriggingdickulous.

[TrainingDummy]

Will nazis ride dinosaurs if they put in his picture?
Refriggingdickulous.

Jesus horses, please.

[counter riposte]

Having visted the SCA in a previous life, the SCA actually does use epees as rapiers and have quite a bit of fun in fighting "duels".

Although I still prefer the "civility" of modern fencing, the SCA does have its perks, "barbaric" as it may be

In any case, whether the photo gets published or not is strange to say the least.

[The Rose Knight]

Will gang violence sweep the school, killing everyone and everything?

Believe it or not, that was the official reason for the name change of the Washington basketball team from the 'Bullets' to the 'Wizards'. Gang violence didn't change. Neither did their record.

RK

[SSMSabreMN]

I find this article hilarious and I can see it from both sides. Honestly though, comming from a private school teen whose school has a fencing team, our mascot is the sabre and we also have a crack squad which involves the fireing of a real gun (blanks no actual bullets) as well as the captain wielding a real sabre, I have to say, let the kid put his picture in. At my school seniors have the option of submitting a photograph that their parents had taken or they can use their school picture, and I think I'd love nothing more than to pose with my sabre and mask for that picture. Senior pictures are supposed to depict how we want people to see us when we look back years from now and say 'Oh! I remember her!' So I dont see why this kid wouldn't want to be remembered for his passion.

[TrainingDummy]

I believe that kid won the suit, but I lost the link. It was on Yahoo news. It showed a picture of him in his Ren-Fest getup... he looked like a total doofus.

[Philistine]

I believe that kid won the suit, but I lost the link. It was on Yahoo news. It showed a picture of him in his Ren-Fest getup... he looked like a total doofus.

Link

--Philistine

[pacer]

At my son's high school, freshmen through juniors must use the school photographer's pics for the yearbook, but seniors use the photographer of their choice for their 'senior' picture. There are guidelines for what is acceptable for the "official" photo. Seniors can also "buy" space for a photo of their choice. I don't know if a fencing photo would be barred because of an epee or foil, but I am curious to find out. A few years ago one senior posed with a bunch of Jack Daniels bottles, got it published, and new rules were put in place as a result.