Teacher Caught Breaking Law Suspends Student

Imagine that a man runs in a bank where you are completing a transaction and he robs the place. You snap a picture of him with your phone camera and it helps the police capture him. However, instead of putting him in jail they arrest you and lock you up.

This is very similar to what happened to a student in Rhode Island. Eliazar Velasquez, a Central High School student, caught his principal smoking outside a back door of the school. This is a violation of state law and school policy. He snapped a few pictures of the administrator feeding her nicotine habit and he posted them on his web site. In addition he gave out flyers indicating that people who wanted to see the principal breaking the law should visit his site.

Elizar was suspended by the principal for ” for harassing and slandering the principal and the dean of students.” He evidently made fun of something the dean published. Seems the educator made a few grammatical errors. I have read several accounts and they all indicate that Velasquez was harrassed by the principal who also ordered him to take the pictures off the web:

Last Friday, Velasquez was called to the principal’s office. He says Almagno began grilling him: “Tell me, who helped you design the Web site?”

Velasquez said Almagno called in the school police officer, then searched his book bag.

There, she found the fliers, which said, “Wanna see Mrs. Almagno take part in some illegal activities? Wanna see her breaking the law on school property? Go to centralscoop.tripod.com.”

Almagno, he says, told him to take down the Web site immediately. He deleted the pictures but said he didn’t know how to remove the site.

The photographs went back online the same day.

“It’s completely unfair,” he says. “They threatened to file slander charges.”

This principal should lose her job. Not for smoking on school property, she could get reprimanded or fined for that. She should get fired because she intimidated a child who caught her doing something wrong. Imagine if this student were the one caught smoking and the principal was going to suspend him but his father shows up and threatens to hurt the principal if she does not stop. The police would have this father in jail real fast. Well, this principal is doing the same thing. She tried to intimidate and harrass a student who caught her breaking the rules.

There has been some question about this with regard to an invasion of the principal’s privacy because her picture was taken. I don’t think the school minds using cameras, metal detectors and other methods (see above box where the student’s bag was searched) to catch students in the wrong. What is wrong with the student doing the same thing. If he had no pictures and reported her smoking she would have lied, the school board would have believed her, and he would have caught hell.

Eliazar Velasquez got an email that he posted on his site. This is the text of that email:

From: Daniel Durrett
Subject:Your Fascist Pictures

Dear Fascist,

While I can understand your teenage-angst ridden rant about your principal smoking on school property, I can’t understand your lack of decency and integrity. It seems that our nation has come to a stage where all civil liberties are being taken away. From your principal being criticized for enjoying a smoke after a hard day at school, to poor Terry Schiavo in Florida being forced to suffer pain and anguish, our “laws to protect” are causing more more erosion of freedom than ever before. This type of thinking, prying in on personal choices, is what lead Germany to the awful state it became in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. I know you didn’t make the law about smoking on school property yourself, but you support it. It seems to me that in true American Spirit you would have applauded your principal, perhaps even stood up and smoked with her. Your principal demonstrates the type of character that founded this country and allowed us to be free from the world of oppression. Your accusatory, gestoppo, picture taken tactics demonstrate the type of character that will help usher in the fall of our great land. Thank you for being brainwashed.

Regards,

Daniel Durrett
Kalamazoo, MI

Daniel Durrett is an idiot. Read carefully what this numb nuts has written. He admonishes the kid, who broke no laws, while praising the principal who did. In the process he rationalizes her illegal activities. In my opening paragraph I talked about a fictional bank robbery. If Durrett had his way, the cameras in the bank would have to go because they are violating the rights of a criminal who is taking some extra money home after a hard day at his minimum wage job. Mr. Durrett needs therapy, and lots of it.

You can visit Eliazar’s web site and see the pictures here.

The principal’s name is Principal Elaine Almagno, and no ma’am, I will not take this down. You are supposed to set the example for the kids. You broke the law and violated their trust. How will any of them react if you try to suspend one for cheating on a test, cheating at sports, or smoking on school grounds? You lady, should lose your job.

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