Two "Tebowing" high school students have been suspended for blocking the hallway while mimicking the quarterback's famous prayer pose.
The boys were two of four students to trigger a wave of some 40 students kneeling in between classes, Riverhead High School Principal David Wicks said. The students caused a safety hazard, he said. The incident was captured on a smartphone and posted to YouTube.
"It was basically just a tribute to Tim Tebow," The New York Post quoted one of the boys as saying. "It was more than a religious thing. There was some of that involved obviously, because he prays. I guess it was basically like a moment of silence."
The two students received in-school suspension because they had been warned before about pulling disruptive stunts in the middle of the hallway, Wick said. The others received a verbal warning.
"This is about students causing an unsafe situation by blocking the hallways," Wicks said. "This has nothing to do with Tim Tebow or punishing the students for their religion beliefs. If they'd been sitting in the hallway with their legs crossed they'd receive the same discipline."
Tebow mania is sweeping the nation, inspired by the Denver Broncos quarterback's overt religiosity and knack for winning despite less than stellar stats.
"I think it’s wonderful that our students look up to sports heroes such as Mr. Tebow, but we can’t allow students to create unsafe situations in school," Superintendent Nancy Carney said in a statement.
"The students stated that there was nothing religious about their actions and that they were just having fun. We hope that these students and all of our students continue to look up to the positive role models in public life; we just encourage them to do it in a responsible way."
"In school suspension". I think that means detention. I don't like the term "in scholl suspension." It makes it sound like they were kicked out. If I understand it correctly, they were not kicked out. They got detention.
When I was in school in the 1970's, it was detention. Now, when my kids are in school, they don't use that word anymore. Why?
in-school suspension is at school all day but in a special area for children who should not be disrupting, or around regular class. Ours was in an annex building.
In school suspension (IIS) is when the student is isolated in a classroom with other ISS kids in cubicles so there is no contact. Your assignments are forwarded to the ISS teacher and you are told to do your work, in silence. No talking at all. Your lunch is moved to before the rest of the students so you can have no interaction with them. They used to make us clean the quad after the rest of the students had lunch as well. All in all it was pretty effective. I got it a lot when I was in highschool in the 90's 🙂 Detention on the other hand was after or before school, our choice, for an extra hour.
An in-school suspension is different from detention in that the student is removed from their normal classes to attend a supervised study hall for the entire day, for as long as the suspension is set. It prevents the student from treating the suspension as a couple days off.
Not exactly.. detention is generally served after school or on a Saturday for a few hours while ISS is all day during school hours, you are basically suspended from being in class with your friends.
It is actually called a private study room (PRS) at my school. Students are suspended from class and must sit in a separate room for the whole day while teachers send them work. Detention, in my mind, refers to having to attend a study session during non-class hours (such as after school, during recess, or during an assembly) In school suspension is completely different than detention.
Detention and in-school suspension are actually NOT the same thing. I don't even think they have detention anymore. With in-school suspension, the student sits in a classroom all day long with a monitor and no communication with others at the school. They are allowed to read only. I'd rather have out of school suspension if I were the child.
I have had 2 I.S.S. In the past 2 years for a couple little things at my school. They put you in a room in the back of our Gym thats plain with nothing but 3 desks. You have to sit there all day and only go out to get your lunch and go to the restroom. Its not a detention because dententions now adays in schools are usually 1 period sitting in a class room. Or going in before school to serve a before school detention or same thing with after school. That how my school does it. The detentions are usually 30minutes – 1 hour long for all the schools around us. They probably switched it to make it seem more human....
Ah yes, In-School. Man, I actually loved ISS. There were no distractions most of the day,and a heavy workload, ostensibly as "punishment" though once the distractions are gone the work was welcome. When you got out, you were 2 weeks ahead of schedule and could practically coast. The little contact you had with the other kids in ISS was at lunch and the two breaks, and man it was fun time, kids who normally wouldn't talk to each other did so, and you met all sorts of people. Good times!
Hmm.. Thanks all. It looks like my kids' school is just using the wrong terminology.
A suspension for "blocking the hallway"? Really? What's up this principals butt?
Your religious "beliefs" if you had your way.
Would it be ok to kneel towards Mecca and pray?
Good point Keith. They would probably still be suspended, but then all hell would break loose.
The two kids getting in house suspension were suspended for disruptive behavior. It wasn't their first time. The other two got a warning. Fair enough.
Ahahahahahahaha this must be a joke. Why would ANY school suspend for something this small. This is like suspending someone for popping a balloon in class.
think of it like getting a flat tire, would you stay in the middle lane and change it and get a ticket for Obstructing the right of way of traffic or pull off to the side of the road and deal with it??
yes,, changing a flat in the middle of the road is not legal and you can get a ticket for it.
Your reply is a prime example of what is wrong in our society. You read the article, you posted a comment, but your comment is incorrect regarding what has actually been said in the article. This was not the first incident, they had been warned previously that they would face repercussions if it happened again, and they chose to do it again. It was a blatant attempt at disrupting the movement of kids in the hallways. They did the crime and they got the time.
I guess Governor Perry was correct when he claimed that young people can't pray in school!
I have to wonder if your response would be the same had they been Muslems praying in the hall blocking other students. Or, perhaps I don't need to wonder;)
This is not about "not being able to pray in school". They where told not to block the hall and they did it anyways. I'm sure they where just messing around and didn't heed the warning. Don't use it as a excuse to promote the stupid sayings of Perry.
I was trying to be ironic. I think it hilarious.
I was trying to be ironic. I think it's hilarious.
Your comment is complete idiocy.
Of course, Perry's statement was ridiculous. Any kid can get down on his knees and pray and they won't get kicked out of school. It is ironic that these young men would get in trouble for apparently "praying." Of course, we all know they were pulling a prank. The far right has no sense of humor.
This is news? This is adolescent stupidity 101.
Jim ~ You seem to have the corner on "stupidity".
These young men have rights. This was non-violent,
independent thinking, and harmless. Get a life, Jim.
the other kids have rights to, to get to class on time... they can do (tebashing) after school
this is hardly independent thinking. since they've been warned before not to pull stunts, they should be punished. they're showing lack of respect for authority.
shar...you are big on double standards aren't you...go ahead and pray...in silence and do not turn your praying into an obstacle for people who crave knowledge not religious doctrine
They were asked to stop and didn't.. Sounds good to me... let them sit at home with a record..
NO different then other things, they were lucky to get a warning first.
my bad in school suspended.. either way.. and for those who think they were just praying, get a life... they were not, it was just a football tribute.
In the picture posted with this you actually see the feet of others going around these young men.
I applaud them. Our schools could use more prayer and moments of silence.
Good going students!! The administrator is just ticked because he is not an independent thinker.
There are a dozen ways to handle this situation ~ thumbs down to that administrator.
More Prayer! Yea, dnd let's do as the bible says to all the rest – KILL THE INFIDELS! Deuteronomy 13:6
you are so full of it and since when did following religious practices become free thinking? they were told not to do it but they din't listen and you applaud that...but I bet when the occupy protestors did not listen and were gassed you were all for them being punished...right?
religious people tend to be the last ones to understand anything.
"Independent" thinking? They were mimicking the actions of football player.
What I have a problem with is the phrase "It was more than a religious thing."
Isn't that a little over the top?
It's sad that we allow our children to be brainwashed to this degree. What sheep.
They really go into trouble for that?! I could see making a chain for no one to get through or refusing to let students pass, but "Tebowing" really....Give me a break
Suspension is hardly a punishment. Nobody looks at your record and (I know these kids are in school suspension) basically it's getting a few days off.
it will not be looked up in later life but does reflect on you going to a good school.
They need a tea-bagging istead of tebowing.
They should be suspended, or sent back to 3rd grade for being stupid. If your going to do idiotic Tebowing do it after school or somewhere that doesn't disrupt everyone else. I agree with the principal on this one.
just more indication that our school system is failing our students and created entire generations of morons.
the parents are creating the morons and the schools have to try to educate them
These kids are seeking attention, not praying. Ignore them and they will eventually go away. Suspension? Ridiculous.
They are indeed praying. They are praying for you, Susie G, and your lost soul.