High School seniors suspended for riding bikes to school

[arebelspy]

Here's an anti-Mustachian school principal.

http://www.cyclelicio.us/2012/students-suspended-for-biking-to-school/

A large group of seniors decide to all ride their bikes to school on the second-to-last day of school.  The ride was organized, city endorsed, and even had a police escort to protect the procession from traffic. The mayor showed up to hand out donuts.

But when they got to school, the principal freaked out about how dangerous it was and how it could have blocked traffic (it didn't, according to the police escort), and suspended them for the last day of school.

Wow.

"Knight" in the comments does give more details to justify the principal's decision, but I still can't see how suspending kids for an organized, city-endorsed bike ride is anything short of ridiculous.

[AJ]

I have a couple of thoughts:

1) Reading both the article and Knight's comment, it does sound like they were blocking traffic and it was not well-planned. However, if it wasn't malicious they should have been applauded for being pro-active, and then talked to constructively about how to better plan next time. They are teens after all, not professional event organizers. They can't be expected to plan a large event perfectly, and it is commendable that they tried at all. What a great learning experience that could have been (and, in a way, was).

2) It rubs me the wrong way how much control school administration has over kids, on campus and off. Yes, these kids were waving school flags, but I've read a lot of articles in the last few years about dictator-like behavior of admins and it doesn't seem right. Anyone remember the girl who was strip-searched when another student accused her of having Ibuprofen (she didn't have any)? Unbelievable is an understatement. The principal reversed her decision for the bikers, but it shouldn't have been made so quickly in the first place.

[James]

Good grief, I feel bad for the administration being put in that situation with the community all upset at the backed up traffic, but support your students!  They tried to do something worth doing, they involved the police, it doesn't sound like they were trying to screw anything up.

[SpendyMcSpend]

That's awful even with the new information.  The final day of high school is a very special day :(

[skyrefuge]

Upon reading the headline and noting the URL of this particular article, my first thought was that the article would more likely be a candidate for Wall of Misplaced Cyclist Self-Righteousness and Unintentional Comedy, and the article/comments did not disappoint!  (thankfully the comments by Knight added some sense to the proceedings)

A less-loaded and more-accurate headline would be "High School seniors suspended for harmless year-end prank".  Yeah, bicycles were involved in this "prank", but cyclists' rights and cost-efficient commuting are about as germane to the story as they are to a bear riding a bicycle at the circus.

I don't get the feeling that the students were trying to send any particular message about biking to school (despite the superficial similarities to a Critical Mass ride).  I mean, c'mon, they had a frickin' golf cart as part of their caravan.  So spluttering citations of Michigan state law in regard the rights of cyclists is rather misplaced.

Of course it's still dumb for the principal to have "suspended" them over the matter.

[gooki]

If I was in that community I'd be expecting the principal to be out of a job.

If your going to punish kids for being constructive, considerate citizens, who show pride in their schooling, then you have no place in the education industry.

[igthebold]

Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.