posted on December 12, 2001 03:35:10 PM
I realize that people can sue for just about anything - it doesn't mean they'll collect. But this father wants to take the ball out of the coach's court and into a judge's.
"A Union City man is suing his son's school district for cutting the young man from the basketball team.
"Lynn Rubin is asking for $1.5 million dollars from the New Haven Unified School District for bumping his son Jawaan off the varsity squad. Rubin says he calculated the damages based on the potential wages lost from his sophomore son's possible professional basketball career. The student says he just wants to play."
posted on December 12, 2001 04:48:27 PM
The suit is pretty nuts. I did a little searching and couldn't find any more information, but I wonder if there isn't possibly some basis for discrimination, violation of school policy, etc. Still nuts and frivolous, especially trying to establish the loss of potential future earning.
Although the degree of absurdity appears unique in this instance, it does characterize the attitudes of a significant number of parents during the last decade or so and how they interpret becoming involved in their children's education. For every sensible and concerned parent who becomes involved with their child's education, there's at least one corresponding nutcase.
posted on December 12, 2001 05:16:57 PM
Antiquary, I heard about this lawsuit on NPR this morning but when I searched their site, I couldn't find anything.
Several of my friends who have taught school for years are thinking of retiring or just quitting because of the flack they get from parents. One English teacher I know quit ten years ago to work as a clerk for the police department after a particularly trying episode with parents who fought her about a grade. She said the police appreciated her help with their reports and every day was interesting.
posted on December 12, 2001 08:00:52 PM
Public education has been experiencing a gradual over-all decline for some time in my opinion, for a myriad of reasons, with not the least influential among them being that a disparity exists between what many parents profess should be the level of expectations for all students as opposed to the individual exceptions that should be made whenever their own children fail to meet them. And as is likely the case with the grade that you mention above, saabsister, some parents, though still a minority, have become special interest advocates for their children, tirelessly trying to bend rules and standards without merit.
