I think adult bullies are a part of the problem that spawns youth bullies. It’s the same situation that gets played out all the time. Power hierarchies turn into totem poles where everyone dominates the one below them. The boss yells at the working man, who goes home and hits his wife, she screams at…
I caught a rerun of a network drama show the other night. To prevent spoiling anything, I won’t say which show or give too many details about it, but basically there was a bully at a high school who was shot and killed. It was thought a couple of his most common, most mistreated victims…
To me, school uniforms are so vehemently opposed by young people in the United States because they violate our individual-centured culture. In other countries, such as east Asian, Native-American, or African cultures, uniforms do not arouse the same level of ire because their cultures are collective in nature. Uniforms, because of their inherent nature, seem…
SSDP’s Dare Generation Diary has alerted me to a new AP news story on the Goose Creek Raid at Stratford High School in South Carolina back in 2003. Apparently the students involved could receive around $9,000 each in a settlement with the police department and the school district. From Tom Angell at SSDP: As you…
NYRA member Chris Batchelor, better known to some as “Galen,” has won two decisive victories for Student’s Rights. Chris has a friend who had to do a report on the USA Patriot Act for school. When the student was told he could not use a picture of a man burning the American flag, he contacted…
NYRA is gearing up for one of the most involved, and committed campaigns of its short life, a campaign to lower the drinking age in Vermont. NYRA Vermont, one of NYRA’s newest and most active chapters, is heavily involved with a growing movement to lower Vermont’s drinking age to eighteen. A bill to lower the…
With no comprehensive, widely recognized bill of rights for students, NYRA has decided to draft a true student centered one. Existing bill of rights are crafted by high school and university administrators themselves and list off as many responsibilities (i.e. rules & regulations) as real rights students enjoy. With the rise of restrictive policies such…
A bill recently passed the Ohio State House, which would protect schools and their employees from liability resulting from injuring students, providing that injury does not cause permanent damage. Obviously, NYRA opposes this bill which sets aside the rights of young people in order to protect the rights of those who are intent on oppressing…
NYRA Vice-President Johnathan McClure has started a local NYRA chapter at the University of North Dakota. College campuses are a great place for Youth Rights activity, where a high concentration competent, politically active young people are still affected by ageist policy. The chapter, already officially recognized by the University, is thinking of possibly taking action…
In his recent state of the union speech, President Bush proposed a plan that would allocate $23 million dollars of government funds to schools that wished to implement drug testing. For a long time, compulsory education has extended itself far beyond simply teaching math, reading, and other such things, and has begun to intrude on…
