Outraged Dad says school duct-taped son's baggy pants

Casshew

Former Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
Messages
27,884
Reaction score
88
An outraged father of a seventh-grader says an assistant principal duct-taped his son's pants to keep them from sagging then sent him back to class. Scott Allison told the Concord School Board on Monday that his 12-year-old son, Spencer, said last week that a teacher asked him to lift his shirt after she noticed the boy's underwear was showing above his pants, a violation of Concord Junior High School's dress code.

She sent him to Assistant Principal Patricia Walters, who told Spencer to pull up his pants and tuck in his shirt, Allison said.

"She then proceeded to duct tape his waist, three times around the waist," said Allison. "Then she sent him back to class, in front of his peers."

He said he worried his son would be mocked by his classmates at the school in the town about 20 miles east of South Bend.

"This outrages me and shocks me," Allison said.

Allison also said that Spencer's underwear would not have been exposed if the shirt was left down.

"I don't understand what motivated her to ask him to lift up his shirt," he said.


Story from USA Today
 
That school is where my kids will go to middle school, when they are old enough.

USA Today failed to mention that the dad took the son (after the incident) to a school board meeting wearing the exact same clothes. Evidently, he had the boy raise his arms and bend over and such, showing the board that the shirt was long enough to cover the top of the pants and boxers.

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I personally hate the boxers showing, and am all for my son following the rules.

On the other hand, I don't believe that laying their hands on him, and making him feel humiliated was a proper course of action. I'm also not certain how I feel about them asking him to lift his shirt. I can't help but wonder if he's been caught "sagging" before, and that's what prompted them to ask.

Ordinarily, if the dress code is broken (girls skirt too short, that type of thing) they just arrange for the kid to go change. I would really like to know why they didn't arrange for this boy to get a belt or something. Why duct tape?

I would really like more info. I need to find me a 7th grader to ask.
 
If she'd duct taped the pants, and left the shirt out, it would have been OK in my eyes (Unless untucked shirts are unacceptable). By the same token, the parents KNEW the pants were not school legal, I don't care if "his shirt covered it". They were trying to circumvent the system. The pants are not supposed to expose the underwear. Period.

It's because people push the standards of good taste that the rules have to be in place at all.

IMO, Dad's a whiner. No wonder his son showed poor judgment.
 
I'm sorry but I think both the Dad and the kid need a swift kick in the pants. :slap:
 
It would have been a lot simpler if the parent had explained to the kid that not everybody will be O.K. with his choice of clothes and sometimes he would have to make changes. This would diffuse the situation instead of building it up, as the parent complained then went to a school-board meeting.
 
vicktor said:
It would have been a lot simpler if the parent had explained to the kid that not everybody will be O.K. with his choice of clothes and sometimes he would have to make changes. This would diffuse the situation instead of building it up, as the parent complained then went to a school-board meeting.
Hi Vicktor ~ are you a Dad? you sound like you would make a good one :)
 
Quite frankly I like the 'Lower rise" pants that are the style these days, and so does my son. I wish there were readily available "lower rise" undergarments for boys so that the upper band wouldn't show on occasion. I don't think it's that big of a deal though as the shirt does cover it. And I would also be royally PO'ed if anyone asked my son to lift his shirt so they could see if his underwear were showing. Sometimes I think the schools concentrate too much on forcing rigid rules and not so much on making sure our children can read and write properly. Call me a whiner if you want...
 
IF these were just "lower rise" pants as Jack was saying, I could understand the problem. But I suspect these were the type of pants that kids wear these days that seem to be about 6 sizes too big. They barely stay up on the hips and the boxers show about halfway down the rear. The crotches of the things are around the knees. Now to me, this is not acceptable school attire.
 
I think it is unacceptable for the administrator to ask the child to lift his shirt, if the offense is not apparent unless the child lifts his shirt up, there is no true offense. I thought this same thing when I was in Jr High, and in order to check that my skirt was long enough, the female AP directed me to bend over so she could make sure nothing would show - total BS. If the offense can be seen by anyone, under normal circumstances, then yup - time to change, otherwise - leave it be. I am not a big fan of the baggy pants, baggy shirt look, but that is why I dont wear them.. To each their own. :twocents:
 
What if the kid had to use the bathroom and couldn't get the pants off? I think if the clothing was unacceptable, they should have called the parents and told them to either bring a change of clothing or come and get the kid and not bring him back until he had appropriate clothing on.
 
I'd rather see boxers than butt cracks. Maybe I should start carrying duct tape with me when I'm out and about and see carpenters and and the like bent over their work.

Anyway, why are boxers considered indecent? They're articles of clothing and not revealing at all. So what if the top of them shows? Not a big deal, imo.
 
As bad as it would hurt my feelings if this was done to my son, I would have to suck it up and shutup. Kids this day in time have zero respect for rules (not all kids). I have a son that is 12 and a daughter that is 17 and they abide by the rules and of course with some complaining. The way I explain things to them is in this world there are always rules you will and will not like, however, you have to abide by them (workforce, school, etc.). I am for the school in this matter.
 
I basically agree with you in that my kids' rights stop where the school's permission ends. Basically that means if its against the rules of the school, my kids can't wear it. That having been said, I sign a piece of paper every year that says the school does NOT have my permission to punish (physically) my children. Anyone at my childrens' school who puts their hands on my kids better get ready to have mine on them.
 
Yet sometimes if it is done the correct way a good paddling will get the kids attention.
 
bugs said:
Yet sometimes if it is done the correct way a good paddling will get the kids attention.


I feel sorry for any kid who needs this kind of attention. Luckily, mine haven't.
 
My husband and I brought up our three kids without ever spanking any of them or punishing them harshly in any other way either, and they all grew up to be good, kind, conscientous people and law-abiding citizens. We don't believe in spanking and consider it assault. If anyone at school or anywhere else had ever tried to get physical with our kids by spanking them, etc., there would have been hell to pay.
 
Ivy said:
My husband and I brought up our three kids without ever spanking any of them or punishing them harshly in any other way either, and they all grew up to be good, kind, conscientous people and law-abiding citizens. We don't believe in spanking and consider it assault. If anyone at school or anywhere else had ever tried to get physical with our kids by spanking them, etc., there would have been hell to pay.


I'm with you Ivy. My oldest is 24 and he never needed a spanking. My two still at home are 11 and 9 years old and they seem to be doing fine without being assaulted either!!! :cool:
 
Jeana (DP) said:
I'm with you Ivy. My oldest is 24 and he never needed a spanking. My two still at home are 11 and 9 years old and they seem to be doing fine without being assaulted either!!! :cool:


I have spanked my kids in the past yet explained to them why. It has never been harsh or abusive. The bible says that spanking is not a sin. Yet I do beleive some folks take this beyond the true meaning. Now that my kids are older, chores, grounding and just the basic explaining goes a long way. Like most of you I am sure, I have good kids. My son, however, is very strong willed and he requires more discipling than my daughter ever did. I just feel if we as parents disrepect and talk bad of their teachers or anyone in authority kids are going to react the same. Always remember there are two sides to the story and parents cannot be naive.
 
I am not a parent, but do have a niece, 12, and a nephew, 10 (and an adorable niece that is 2 days old). I do not think that the duct tape was an appropriate means of discipline. I agree with Jeana, the parents should have had to bring the child new clothes. If the parents work or could not do it, then he should have had to spend the day in the office.

I don't believe in schools spanking children, but I do believe in parents spanking their children. That is how I was raised and I got my butt busted plenty of times. :D
 
bugs said:
I have spanked my kids in the past yet explained to them why. It has never been harsh or abusive. The bible says that spanking is not a sin. Yet I do beleive some folks take this beyond the true meaning. Now that my kids are older, chores, grounding and just the basic explaining goes a long way. Like most of you I am sure, I have good kids. My son, however, is very strong willed and he requires more discipling than my daughter ever did. I just feel if we as parents disrepect and talk bad of their teachers or anyone in authority kids are going to react the same. Always remember there are two sides to the story and parents cannot be naive.


I'm not about to accuse you or anyone else of a crime. LOL I was spanked and I have decided to not use that form of discipline for my own children. They don't seem to be any worse for not getting hit. They know how to respect people just fine. To me what a spanking says to a child is "I don't know what else to do, so I'm going to hit you." Not a message I ever needed to give to them.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
183
Guests online
2,284
Total visitors
2,467

Forum statistics

Threads
589,987
Messages
17,928,722
Members
228,034
Latest member
okaydandy
Back
Top