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Posted by: andy0921

URLINGTON, Conn. -- A Burlington teenager said she's been banned from running for office at her high school because of a comment she posted online.
Elections at Region 10's Lewis Mills High School take place Friday, but Avery Doninger's name appears nowhere on the ballot.

She was planning to run for secretary of her class, but she said her principal said no after reading something Doninger posted online.

It started when Doninger, 16, was upset over ongoing scheduling snags with a popular school event called Jamfest.
She posted in her online journal about it, calling an unnamed central office worker a “douche bag.”
"It was an unsavory term and I shouldn't have said it. It was a rude comment," she said. "It was written thinking that it would be private and it didn't occur to me that it's on the Internet, it's public."
Her principal asked her to tell her mom about the comment and apologize to the superintendent, which Doninger said she did.
She was also banned from running for class secretary, a position she's held for three years.
The district views leadership positions as a privilege, not a right.
The school's principal said, “When kids are in a position of privilege, there are certain standards of behavior we expect them to uphold. Our position stands for respect. We’re just hoping kids appreciate the seriousness of any communication over the Internet."
While she doesn't like the language her daughter used, Lauren Doninger feels the punishment is too harsh.
"I think that when a student on a sports team loses his or her temper at a coach, they're suspended for a game, maybe for a season. This consequence is an entire year," she said.
While Doninger knows she has a first amendment right to speak her mind, she said she’s also learned from the ordeal.
"I mean I've really learned my lesson. You can't present yourself in that way," Doninger said.
They hoped school officials would change their minds and allow her to run, but officials said that will not happen

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Posted by: Delta784

What if it were proven that the office worker was, in fact, a douche bag?

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Posted by: dcs2244

Douchebag or not, Avery has a right to freely express her opinion. She should not have apologized to school management. I think that "doushebag" is an entirely appropriate description of someone that one views as an "a$$wipe", sh*tstain" or "firetruck-head".

In any event, I have come to expect this type of behavior from the women and eunuchs that run the government schools.

Home school. Early and often.

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Posted by: Cinderella

"firetruck-head"

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Posted by: SOT

I think the principle is a douche bag...or could very well be a scum bag....

Thank god that guy isn't in charge of voting rules for the rest of the country.

I just called and said: I want to speak with the douche bag who banned that girl from the election. They put me through to the principle...so I guess the office staff thinks the principle is a douche bag...because they knew who I was talking about.

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Posted by: NewEngland2007

I can't believe people still say "douche bag."

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Posted by: KozmoKramer

Quote:

It started when Doninger, 16, was upset over ongoing scheduling snags with a popular school event called Jamfest.

Maybe it's the generation gap of my time, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm the only one who believes 16 year old children ought not be rewarded nor exempted for disrespectful behavior and the use of foul language.
The exorcise of our First Amendment right does not mean our words go entirely without consequence.

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Posted by: Inspector

You know Koz...I'm with you. Too often people forget that the most effective way to be critical of a situation is to use straight forward appropriate english.

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Posted by: Wolfman

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