School Pressured to Stop Making Kids Kneel Before the Principal

In San Bernardino County, southern California, parents got a rude awakening in the form of a flyer from an outraged parent. Yes, for some time, Calimesa Elementary School had a policy unbeknownst to parents that involved making the children kneel down on one knee with arms at the their sides at various times throughout the day.

Principal Dana Carter admits to enacting the policy for children to get down on one knee to be dismissed or admitted (usually after recess) by himself or administration as a safety measure. That's not how some parents saw it. To them, it felt like an unnecessary subjugation for their kids to practically bow before the principal who would be king.

Read the original article here

We already know that the U.S. has been dumbing down our children through acts/laws/programs such as "No Child Left Behind" and those "wonderful" standardized tests. However, going as far as teaching them subjugation? It is no wonder these kids just don't want to listen to authority. Forcing a child to obey doesn't teach him or her to respect authority. The audacity of this principal!

as a safety measure??? how ridiculous .. that's insane.. you'd think the teaching staff would have spotted it and said something... I've been there too, my grandfather lived there before he died.. crazy..

reply to post by Kmhotaru


Reminds of that video about the kid worshiping Obama

How can the public allow this educator to continue in his/her position. Doesn't this set off some kind of 'not normal' alarm about that person.

reply to post by roadgravel


They should definitely have fired the principal but, from what I read and understood from the article, all they did was send out a letter saying that they would stop with those practices. It seemed like something normal to the staff that didn't credit an immediate expulsion of the "professional".

reply to post by miniatus


That's what I thought as well. Safety measure for what? Isn't it enough that some of those schools have metal detectors? Wasn't that meant for safety measures? Forget safety! These guys just want to feel like emperors, a title which instead of earning, they've taken by force (similar to the roman empire).

reply to post by Kmhotaru


I would be concerned over what else is or might be going on in the school.

reply to post by starwarsisreal


Yes, I saw this poor kid and how badly he's been brainwashed. It's definitely something to think about. Especially when you have teachers screaming at students for "disrespecting Obama".



At this rate, we should all be unschooling or homeschooling our kids! The system of education is deteriorating and leaning toward blatant indoctrination!

To paraphrase, Ignorance gets halfway around the internet before reason has a chance to get its pants on.

Has the kneeling policy at one California school been misconstrued?

Please, please, for God's sake, read the article!!

just a snippet ...

"I am a conservative. And I am a public school principal. That is spelled with "pal" as in principal is your pal by the way. Jumping to conclusions before knowing the real facts is what damages the conservative ideal. Perhaps this is a system, as mentioned above, of students demonstrating that they are ready and did hear the bell.

It is pretty much universal in large gatherings of students to have them raise their hands, sit, or show some sign that they are ready. Crowd control and safety are part of the responsibility of educators. Have you ever seen an unsupervised crowd of children charging down a hall? I have, kids get hurt. Order and walking in quiet lines in halls and public areas is important in the school setting for student safety."

Why was a flyer sent around before action was taken? Who was afraid to face the principal?

I do not agree with this kneeling action; another system should have been used IMO. Could be the principal remembered it from either playing or watching football.

reply to post by desert


As we all know, there are always two sides to the story. I agree that his "safety measures" were not the most adequate, as there are other ways to have kids follow directions as the article you posted mentioned.

As to why the poster went out before action was taken . . .my opinion is that the parent thought it was appropriate to inform the other parents as well. I mean, wouldn't you want to make sure you weren't just paranoid before seeking action to a certain issue? Regarding who was afraid to face the principal: I don't think fear had much to do with it but rather the fact that, in our educational system, the system may have much more "credibility" than the parent in some cases. Those are just my two cents. The story was definitely something that sparked my interest because as a parent I would like to know what was going on with the policies and guidelines at my kid's school. What is clear to me is that, with all the years of experience this principal had, I'm sure he could have thought of a better way, especially taking into consideration what you are taught in that career, "Respect cultural views." Not everyone would be okay with that type of policy.

reply to post by Kmhotaru


Thanks for the reply, K. The flyer author did sound like they knew about the kneeling for "safety", but to me it doesn't sound like the reasons for "safety" were clear in his/her mind. Either they didn't talk to the principal directly or there was some kind of miscommunication if he/she did.

Sure sounded like the author was already paranoid about nefarious reasons for the kneeling, what with the last underlined bold statement being, "Is it ok for your son and/or daughter to kneel down to them?" It sure sounds like the flyer was given out to inform parents that their student was somehow genuflecting obsequiously to a powerful official.

I don't know if the intent of the author was to inform more than parents, but once it hit the internet the author's delusional opinion was loaded upon with more hot button this and that. Now the world is filled with that much more anger over nothing. Such craziness.

That poor new principal, thinking he was implementing something good, instead got trashed in public due to someone's delusional thinking. You'ld have to be crazy to want to be a principal nowadays.

If a parent has these concerns, isn't there a school parent group to address issues like this? Well, at least the students don't have to kneel. In my day, 50 years ago, all we did was "freeze" when the bell rang and then start walking back to class when the bell ended.

Well, that new principal just had a big lesson.

Originally posted by roadgravel
reply to post by Kmhotaru

 

I would be concerned over what else is or might be going on in the school.

Meanwhile, interrogators will take good care of the principle.

I swear to god, when I have kids, if I don't decide to homeschool them from the offset, I will be on top of everything they are taught throughout the day, I have been following some of the indoctrination our kids have been going through in the last few years, but I could have never fathomed a #ing school Principal would have kids bow before him. I would probably be in jail for menacing if I heard about this when I went to the school to blast the Principal. Who in the hell does he think he is?! This is so freaking ridiculous.

I'm just going to say it. If anyone feels the need to make my child "kneel" before them... They will be in for a rude awakening when I show up the following morning and make them kiss my feet

From everything it sounds more like them taking a knee. It worked for football and we never considered it as bowing. If it worked to keep order it must have its merritt. I know classes are much bigger than when I was in school so I am keeping an open mind.

School disciplin in the states is probably the worst as far as first world countries go from what I have witnessed. Something needs to change but I am not saying this is it.

reply to post by Kmhotaru


isn't it obvious?

if national security warrants being molested and distrusted at every turn by an authority then safety warrants bowing before authority when ending and beginning an activity ...like a check point ....

seems legit.

Soo , I will be interested on knowing what kind of punishment the children were submitted to if they refused the kneeling to the oppressing rule of the principal.

BTW her butt should be fired from the school with not questions ask.

reply to post by Grimpachi


You note it was done in sports in your experience. Isn't that a bit different though? A lot of things, as I understand it, are done on the sports field and in the locker rooms which would never be done across the whole student body because those in the programs are there by choice and as volunteers. Very motivated ones, usually.

It seems to me, quite a bit different when it's a Principle for the entire school. No Volunteer anymore. You submit on your knees...or you don't get your education is, in a rather extreme way to put it, what this was presenting?

I think this Principle needs serious psych help and no time around kids without supervision.....where the oddities of a Coach with the players? Well.... Sports people do sports stuff and it's what it takes to win I guess. Us non-sports people will never understand and I don't even try to. I'll just accept it works and leave that one be. lol...

These kids now a days are so lucky that they didn't get any ass whopping.


"Go to your room!" good enough punishment.

And new generation of parents the blow things out of proportion!

reply to post by Kmhotaru

One mom told a Los Angeles station of her 7-year-old daughter:

She says that she has to drop down on one knee with her hands at her side, wait for the principal to come out, lift his arms and tell them to go to class.

Principal Dana Carter admits to enacting the policy for children to get down on one knee to be dismissed or admitted (usually after recess) by himself or administration as a safety measure.

We all know how dangerous those 7 year olds are, it's a bloody elementary school for god sakes. This kneeling ritual appears to be a daily occurrence, several times each and every day. Dismissal from school and authority to return to class after each recess every single day. This is sick, sick, SICK on the principal's part. Not only is the principal guilty of subjecting these children to oppression and submission conditioning tactics, so are the administration and the teachers. They were right there either enforcing submission tactics or letting this happen, helping enforce the rules of the King of the school. This is so disgusting I am in shock. This type of treatment is considered inhumane and a violation of constitutional rights against tyranny.

The principal needs to be fired from the school and hired by a prison system where he can practice his safety measures on real threats.