District Superintendent Claims 14-Year-Old Student Bullied Her By Using Her Photo In A Criminal Justice Class Project

Legal Issues

from the the-only-adult-here-is-the-one-pulling-her-daughter-out-of-this-district dept

Fri, Nov 7th 2014 6:29pm — Tim Cushing

14-year-old Lucero Tovar's project for her criminal justice class was supposed to depict the inside of a courtroom. In an unexpected turn of events, her diorama instead proved an unlikely theory: there's a child running Texas' Santa Maria Independent School District.

A 14-year-old Texas student was suspended last week after she created a diorama of a courtroom using pictures of school board members to represent various people in her project, including a prosecutor and "fake" defendant.

The assignment, which was due Oct. 20, was to create a miniaturized 3D courtroom setting, she told KGBT-TV.

She decided to use photos of school district personnel and elected board members, which she printed out from the Santa Maria Independent School District’s website.

Tovar also used photos of family members and relatives, along with various dead presidents, to ensure every "person" in her diorama had a face.

But one of the people "depicted" in her diorama had a problem with her face being used: Santa Maria ISD superintendent Maria Chavez.

As you can see from this screengrab of KGBT's report, Chavez's face was applied to the "defendant's" body.

Somehow, Superintendent Chavez was informed of Tovar's criminal justice project, resulting in Tovar being called to her school's office.

“The principal just looks at me and is like, ‘You know why you're in here right?’” Tovar explained. “I said no. She said, ‘You're harassing people.’ And I was like, ‘Huh?’ For me, I was like, ‘What?’"

Tovar adds: “She just told me that I was harassing and that she's going to suspend me for 4 days.”

Tovar's mother -- perhaps realizing there would be no reasoning with the childlike-but-in-all-the-wrong-ways entity running the district -- pulled her child from the school rather than deal with the ridiculous suspension.

If you think I'm being too harsh on Maria Chavez (and by extension, everyone under her command), read on. The suspension notice obtained by KGBT says the following:

You are hereby advised that Lucero Tovar is assigned an In-School-Suspension (ISS) from Santa Maria High School for the following Code of Conduct violation(s): damaging innuendo message on class project to another’s reputation — district personnel.

After dodging KGBT reporter Ryan Wolf for an entire day, Maria Chavez finally answered one of his phone calls and made the following statements.

Chavez did not want to appear on camera but said over the telephone how she felt Tovar’s depiction of her and others was “bullying” to personnel...

Chavez said she found the rationale behind her face on the defendant in an orange jumpsuit as “politically” motivated, “distasteful” and a complete deviation from the project’s “requirements."

And while Chavez found it “distasteful,” she told Wolf none of the board members, whose faces are also featured in the project, complained to her about harassment or a damaged reputation.

Chavez also claims Tovar's project caused a "disruption," which is a really lame way to shift blame to the victim. (Meaning the actual victim -- Lucero Tovar -- and not the fake victim who's supposed to be acting like an adult.) There would have been no disruption if school personnel hadn't somehow arrived at the conclusion that Tovar's use of district personnel photos was a form of bullying.

What's even sadder than Chavez's gratuitous display of power is that she continues to maintain the pretense that this is really about Tovar's unwillingness to follow the project's instructions. This assertion (and nothing to back it up) leads to non-sequiturious paragraphs like the following:

There was no written description required, according to Tovar.

Tovar said she was just trying to be creative with the assignment and used photos of her relatives as well.

Wolf asked the superintendent if the teacher listed any requirements to students ahead of the assignment to which she responded “yes.”

Unless the instructions specifically stated that no photos of district personnel were to be used, then this assertion is a painfully stupid attempt at misdirection. Even if there were certain instructions Tovar didn't follow, the worst she should have expected was a low grade from her teacher, not accusations of bullying from the district superintendent and a suspension.

What makes it even stupider is Chavez's actions following the assertion that Tovar didn't follow the project guidelines.

[Chavez] also said [the project instructions] would be faxed over to Action 4 News around noon time.

They were never received as of 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Maria Chavez may not have liked her face being pasted to an orange jumpsuited body, but the proper response for someone in her position would have been to tell the teacher or administrator that brought it to her attention to find something productive to do with their time. Instead, she chose to be the victim in a situation that clearly wasn't crying out for anyone to fill that role. To become the victim, she had to turn a 14-year-old student into someone capable of intimidating the top of the district's organization chart. Now, because she chose to fully inhabit the victim role, she's exposed herself as someone incapable of filling the role of district superintendent and unworthy of the trust inherent to the position.

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Filed Under: criminal justice, diorama, lucero tovar, maria chavez, school project
Companies: santa maria high school

85 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2014 @ 6:39pm

Literally LOL
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Anon E. Mous (profile), 7 Nov 2014 @ 6:42pm

Seriously, this superintend ought to apologize to this kid and offer to carry her books to class for a week.

Harassment, I doubt this girl even met this superintendent, obviously Mrs.Chavez is a little too sensitive, perhaps that's from criticism of the school board by parents, but to chastise this girl for it because of the girl used Chavez's picture in a diorama is beyond stupidity.

I highly doubt any court or person who is of rational mind would see this as harassment, obviously the other people whose pictures were used didn't see an issue.

Maybe someone needs some sensitivity training, and I am not talking about the student. Mrs Chavez will be lucky if the school board isn't on the end of a lawsuit over this
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That One Guy (profile), 7 Nov 2014 @ 6:53pm

There's a joke here somewhere...
Anyone else find it funny that she tried to turn fiction into reality, going from being portrayed as the defendant to trying to make people think she's being 'attacked' and the victim of the whole thing?
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2014 @ 7:04pm

Interesting demonstration. I'm sure the students were quite impressed on how similar the justice system of the U.S. is to China, Russia, and North Korea.
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That One Guy (profile), 7 Nov 2014 @ 7:08pm

Re:
"YOU HAVE MOCKED THE GLORIOUS LEADER ONE TOO MANY TIMES, TO THE PRI- I MEAN SUSPENSION WITH YOU FILTHY DISSIDENT!"
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111111, 7 Nov 2014 @ 7:12pm

MY NEW MMEME
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2014 @ 7:16pm

What's so upsetting about being a defendant? You're innocent until proven guilty, y'know...
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2014 @ 7:42pm

You know, I used to smile at my grandpa when he said "Everything was better in the good old days" but now I tend to agree with him. Looking back to when I was 14, my whole class would be in prision, probably for life, if we did today what we did then.

Land of the free (highest prison population world wide) and the home of the brave(afraid of everything)...
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Sheogorath (profile), 7 Nov 2014 @ 7:47pm

Actually, I'd say Tovar predicted the future. I'm pretty sure that claiming a child is harassing you with a one-time use of your publicly available image for a school project is criminal defamation. Simples!
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2014 @ 7:56pm

Re:
I'm surprised the child isn't also facing charges for multiple copyright violations.
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McCrea (profile), 7 Nov 2014 @ 8:01pm

Don't teach anything useful in school, like "stock photo".
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Sheogorath (profile), 7 Nov 2014 @ 8:02pm

Re: Re:
I'm not. Educational uses are often held to be fair use.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2014 @ 8:13pm

dumb ass
Mariz Chavez will soon be looking for a job because this student harassed and defamed her into unemployment.
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 7 Nov 2014 @ 8:20pm

I believe this is the proper definition of the word irony, as she is inviting harassment and bullying from everyone else. I mean, it's probably not going to be up on the local news, but it's going to spread across that school like wildfire.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2014 @ 8:42pm

When I was in high school 20 years ago, some of my friends made a flyer to announce a gig their band was playing. The flyer used a photo of the vice principle with a cut out image of the bottom of a toilet seat in front so it looked like the vice principle was getting his head dunked in the toilet.

Instead of the students who made the flyer getting a suspension or any form of punishment, the vice principle framed a copy of the flyer and put it up in his office. His philosophy on student conduct was that if the worst students were doing was making fun of him rather than getting into fights or doing drugs on campus, he'd gladly laugh at himself along with the students.
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tqk (profile), 7 Nov 2014 @ 9:20pm

What's wrong with you people?!? This is a *hate* crime!
The kid is obviously racist assuming Chicanos are ordinarily seen wearing orange jumpsuits, and everyone knows they're forever in trouble with the law. Ask Arizona. I'm surprised Chavez isn't in trauma counseling for this vicious attack on her ancestry and parentage!

Uh, was that over the top? I would love to hear what her employees are saying about this, if they can manage to stop laughing long enough to say anything. Their lunchroom that day must've sounded like a comedy club. Way to improve staff morale, Chavez. Madre de dios!
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2014 @ 9:54pm

What is wrong with schools
Why does it seem that the adults in the room at schools seem to be the children who point out "That is ridiculous." while the so-called adults freak out with Zero Tolerance and "better safe than sorry" cowardly-ass stupidity?
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That Anonymous Coward (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 12:01am

and another piece of evidence supporting the idea that giving people power causes brain damage.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 12:08am

You know how they say:
"A child is not an adult in a smaller body"?

I'd like to add:
"But some adults are just children in a bigger body"...
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Peter, 8 Nov 2014 @ 12:16am

Enter Streisand
I am beginning to think that the Streisand Effect is a righteous infliction upon maliciously dull-witted acts concocted by morons in fits of douchebaggery.
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David, 8 Nov 2014 @ 12:43am

Re:
What's so upsetting about being a defendant? You're innocent until proven guilty, y'know...

So what you are saying is that the superintendent just wanted to put some more life into the diarama by acting guilty?

"Your honor, I am taking the fifth... class, of course."
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David, 8 Nov 2014 @ 1:21am

Re:
You know, I used to smile at my grandpa when he said "Everything was better in the good old days" but now I tend to agree with him. Looking back to when I was 14, my whole class would be in prision, probably for life, if we did today what we did then.

Can you prove that the world wouldn't be a better place for it?
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Blackfiredragon13 (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 1:39am

I'm not even sure how to respond to that.
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ANON, 8 Nov 2014 @ 2:23am

principal
I had a school principal tell me once he would see me in jail. Within a year he was in jail himself for having sex with a student in my class (the same class his own daughter was in) and an ugly student at that...

Seems this principal's face would go good in a lot of images and across the web, be quite funny if this got viral enough to make the bitch quit.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 2:31am

Re: What is wrong with schools
Because somehow it has become a society where youths are punished worse than adults, but with much harsher rules.
Basically they a taught to fear, obey and not criticize people with more power than themselves, or the hammer will fall hard. This is also the way law enforcement, corporations and politicians wish the public would behave like.
I guess they have decided to try the "catch them while they are young" approach.
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renosablast (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 3:43am

time to dig a little deeper into the stuporintendent's past
Maybe it is time to do a little bit of deeper digging into the superintendent's past. What is she hiding or trying to keep buried that the depiction of her as a "defendant" made her so over-sensitive about? Something hitting a little to close to home, maybe?
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 4:02am

and just when is she (Chavez) likely to be suspended? thought so. never! as with any and all incidents of any and all description, the person acting like a total jerk gets to punish the down-trodden people who do not have some highfaluting title to their name! how the fuck these people ever get to these positions, i'll never understand!
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 4:25am

Re: What is wrong with schools
Because we all live in South Park now.
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scotts13 (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 5:15am

Re: Re: What is wrong with schools
It's a teaching opportunity. It teaches the child that those in authority are capricious, childish, vindictive, and not to be respected. Job well done!
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 5:21am

I'm surprised the Bearcat wasn't deployed, a few flash-bangs and a taser, that'll teach that criminal not to deface a national treasure.
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Bryan Carson (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 6:38am

Too bad I don't live in Texas
1If I were in Texas I wouuld offer to represent Lucero Tovar pro bono. This is a governmental action, bringing up violations of the 1st amendment as many have stated. However, it also appears to violate both procedural and substantive due process. Depending on the family's socioeconomic status, there may also be a 14th amendment equal protection problem. (Too bad minors are no linger considered a suspect classification.) definitely Ms. Tovar has a §1983 claim.

As both a lawye and an educator with a doctoratre in ed, this sounds like an A± assignment to me. I don't blame the parents for sending Ms. Tovar to another district. As much as they may have wanted to fight, the best interests of the child mean that they should get her elsewhere.

The Streisand Effect may shed some light on Ms. Chavez, the (unnamed) principal, and goings-on in Santa Maria Independent School District. If the superintendent had sued over this rediculous incident, it would have been a SLAPP and subject to the Texas Anti-SLAPP provisions. What is needed now, however, is a SLFPP, a Straegic Lawsuit FOR Public Participation.

So I hope some Texas lawyer will help the family out. By the way, having read the original stories and comments, KGBT reporter Ryan Wolf from KGBT sounds like an excellent journalist.
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David, 8 Nov 2014 @ 7:20am

Re: time to dig a little deeper into the stuporintendent's past
I was thinking the same thing. The "thou doth protest too much" thing, you know...
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 7:24am

I, for one, can't wait for the follow up story involving pictures of Chavez used in a project for an anatomy class.
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David, 8 Nov 2014 @ 7:25am

Re: Too bad I don't live in Texas
I know this isn't typically "Popehat" territory, but hopefully there will be a lawyer willing to step up quickly. It sounds like rather than take the lawsuit route, they enrolled her in a school in another district.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 8:00am

The real reason she was suspended can be seen in the background of the picture. Notice the pictures of two former presidents? Reagan and Ford. Just sayin.....
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Quiet Lurcker, 8 Nov 2014 @ 8:12am

Re: What is wrong with schools
I think you answer boils down to about three things.

First, judging by what I've heard of "teachers' education" from a friend who just recently got both her certificate and her degree, I suspect much of the problem stems from what the teachers are learning prior to starting their careers.

Second, federal influence in the form of monetary subsidies either granted or withheld, increased or decreased could - probably does - strongly influence school policies, and not necessarily in the good way envisioned by the feds.

Third - and this is the sad one - the current generation of teachers and administrators were quite possibly coddled as children and young men and women, so did not develop the necessary coping skills.
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TimK (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 8:29am

If she thought THAT was bullying, I wonder how she is going to feel about all the nasty emails she gets from people who read about this story online or see it on the news. I mean, her name and email address are prominently featured in this article and posted on the School District's website.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 8:32am

This not unexpected. It's not like Texas is known as the epicenter of educational acumen.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 10:22am

Streisand effect in 3..2.1
I'm making popcorn!
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 10:52am

New assignment kids. Depict a courtroom scene with superintendent Chavez as the judge, jury and executioner and include yourself as the defendant.
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Dave, 8 Nov 2014 @ 11:14am

Ludicrous
Just laugh it off, gal! Someone's ego is obviously a little touchy here. Looks like a Streisand effect of sorts going on also.
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DB (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 11:50am

Why are 14 year old students attending a "criminal justice" class rather than a civics class?

That's sending a message that learning "the System" is more important than learning the Constitution.
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Anon, 8 Nov 2014 @ 12:03pm

...
Gee, I sure hope the internet doesn't take it upon itself to demonstrate to Ms. Chavez what REAL bullying is...
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Bryan Csrson (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 12:06pm

Re: Too bad I don't live in Texas
Sorry for all the typos. I wrote this on my smartphone.:)
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 12:06pm

Defendent? Why yes of course!
We can only hope that Ms. Chavez gets a real civics lesson by becoming a real defendant.
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tqk (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 1:09pm

Re: Re: Too bad I don't live in Texas
It sounds like rather than take the lawsuit route, they enrolled her in a school in another district.

They removed her ASAP from an obviously abusive situation. That doesn't preclude suing the pants off Chavez and the fools who hired her and supported her decision. I'd be on my hands and knees begging for forgiveness and voluntarily signing up for sensitivity counseling right now if it was me, which it never would be.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say, shove it up your ass, Mr. MacCaulay (my grade eight math teacher). I imagine every kid who's ever been forced to endure public school has some petty tyrant in his past s/he still resents being forced to endure.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 1:17pm

...Wow, is this superintendent made out of rice paper, or something?
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art guerrilla (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 1:32pm

Re:
sent her a nastygram...
fuck her, the DIRECT OPPOSITE of the type of open-minded educators we should have...

its authoritarians all the way down...
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tqk (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 1:41pm

Re: Re: What is wrong with schools
Fourth - they're cowed into compliance to their bureaucratic overlords' world view, however perverse that may be.

Teachers have their stifling New World Order bureaucratic regime pushing them from one side, and parents and PTA expectations for their precious snowflakes demanding favor from the other.

Why anyone wants the job mystifies me. They're professional masochists.
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Sheogorath (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 1:42pm

Re:
Actually, the US government no longer see the First Amendment as a national treasure, but instead as toilet paper, along with the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eleventh Amendments (off the top of my head).
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J.R., 8 Nov 2014 @ 1:49pm

Egomaniac
The Stoodpidintendant seems to have a fragile, maybe infantile ego, and to be totally lacking a sense of humor. She may be so hypnotized by and fixated on the image in her mirror, that when distracted by this trivial incident she went postal. That's one problem with a hyper-inflated ego: it's always getting bruised.
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tqk (profile), 8 Nov 2014 @ 3:12pm

Re:
Why are 14 year old students attending a "criminal justice" class rather than a civics class?

It doesn't appear that recent generations learned anything in civics class. They appear to equate it with nap time. So, if they can't be bothered to learn about their rights, now they can learn about the consequences, ie. how to defend yourself when you're inevitably dragged into court for whatever reason.

Watch out for that Judge Chavez. She's a hangin' judge.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 4:17pm

Re: Re:
We should start searching for a Conviction for this woman. She acts like she has something to hide.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 8:06pm

another molder of young minds, only they are molding them likes a bully molds their victims
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 8:08pm

Re: Re:
might as well just say they only consider constitutional rights applying to themselves, to everyone else there is no constitutional rights in existence. Only the petty politicians acting like nobility and treating everyone else like serfs.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 8:10pm

Re: Re: What is wrong with schools
you mean how participation trophies fosters the belief they are special and when they come up against failing at something they lose their shit and go berserk because they were brought up to never have to deal with loss, only winning?
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Nov 2014 @ 8:27pm

you much southpark for the super?
respect my authoritah!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hkcZilKChI
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Coyoty (profile), 9 Nov 2014 @ 12:28am

Re:
So you're saying she's moldy.
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Dan G Difino, 9 Nov 2014 @ 7:09am

Innocence is a Crime
The project could have been taken into the office and Tovar's parents could have been called to respond to another adult's miff. Tovar should not have to deal with this distraught superintendant for this.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2014 @ 7:38am

Re: Re:
Can you prove a negative?
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tqk (profile), 9 Nov 2014 @ 7:40am

Re: Innocence is a Crime
Tovar should not have to deal with this distraught superintendant for this.

On the other hand, the kid's getting a valuable lesson in abuse of authority, and she's going to come out of it smelling like roses, possibly even rich. That's a lot more than most get from public school. Earned college tuition before she reached fifteen. Think of the street cred she's going to walk away with; took down a superintendant at only fourteen!

Fom here on no teacher, no matter where she winds up, is going to take this kid at face value. She's golden. :-)
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2014 @ 7:41am

Re: Re: Re:
Sadly fair use is not typically applied as a filter prior to charges being filed, although there is precedence.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2014 @ 8:01am

Re: Re: What is wrong with schools
Most problems in public education stems from the administration not the teachers.

You have tossed both teachers and administrators into the same bag, this is either just being lazy or it is intentional misinformation. School board members and administrators are politicians and typically know little about education even though a few of them may have been employed as a teacher in the past. Many parents and community members are tiring of the continual teacher disparagement emanating from the anti public school echo chamber. These anti public education people do not have the student's best interest in mind, they are after the public tax dollar and a possible future political career.

Public school policy is a local affair, typically controlled by the "elected" school board at a county level. Federal influence is placed upon the State, not the school board nor the county. Possibly you have been confused by the debate about common core.

Not sure what to make of your last comment. Teachers and administrators are very different, professionally and socially. To claim the are the same implies ignorance.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2014 @ 8:05am

Re: Re: Re:
It was rather humorous to watch the congress critterz reaction to being informed they had been spied upon.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2014 @ 8:09am

Re: Re:
All encompassing generalizations are many times wrong, for obvious reasons.

This common trope of attacking the younger generation is tired but still useful, wrong - but useful.
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NoRehabForMe, 9 Nov 2014 @ 8:35am

Why didn't the principal just do the right thing and let the SWAT team handle it?
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leehb9 (profile), 9 Nov 2014 @ 9:02am

Hey, Maria Chavez's face would work great on a dartboard!
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tqk (profile), 9 Nov 2014 @ 9:37am

Re: Re: Re:
That wasn't attacking the younger generation. I'm surprised anyone took it that way. I wouldn't bother to stay awake for the pap shoved at kids these days either. Just look at the story we're commenting on. Chavez' actions are asinine. How any adult could think her reaction was reasonable, I can't imagine. Way to earn the respect of your charges, not!
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Bill, 9 Nov 2014 @ 12:04pm

Re:
Just wait until Photoshoppers like me get done with that image. Trolling assholes on my free time is my favorite thing to do.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2014 @ 1:38pm

equally concerning is the cardboard, scissors; and glue used on this 21st century assignment. How much time was spent on the construction of the diorama versus the idea development of the assignment objectives? (assuming they were higher level).
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tqk (profile), 9 Nov 2014 @ 2:08pm

Re: Re:
Trolling assholes on my free time is my favorite thing to do.

There's a whole bunch of them over at NPR saying the Maine Ebola nurse was doing her thing for self-aggrandizement and personal gain, like maybe she thought going to Africa would look good on her resume. Have fun.
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Mark Wing, 9 Nov 2014 @ 3:45pm

Seems like the real damage to her reputation came from being such an asshole.
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PRMan, 10 Nov 2014 @ 4:53am

Re: Re: Re:
Sounds like a plan when I go download my daughter's college textbooks.
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PRMan, 10 Nov 2014 @ 4:56am

Re:
If it were me, I would just laugh and say, "I hope I was found innocent..."
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Nov 2014 @ 5:08am

Re: Re:
That would be the response of someone who is not insane.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Nov 2014 @ 5:32am

Re: There's a joke here somewhere...
Good point. She could have turned this around and educated students about false accusations. Shows where her priorities are.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Nov 2014 @ 5:34am

Re: Re:
Can you prove that the removal of freedom results in *more* freedom?
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Nov 2014 @ 5:37am

Re: Re: Re: What is wrong with schools
Except it doesn't teach them those are bad things. It teaches them they are normal. So it's not a learning lesson. It's a prison. And pointing it out is the only way we can correct it.
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Geno0wl (profile), 10 Nov 2014 @ 8:09am

Why only the Superintendent getting hate?
When clearly there are two other adults here that are just as much at blame. Those two adults being the teacher and the principal.
BOTH of them had to look at the diorama filled with various sets of people(Her family, dead presidents, and faculty) and think to themselves...."Man something needs to be done here!". I can NOT fathom how two adults could even get to the point of even contacting the Superintendent in the first place.
Hate on the Superintendent, but make sure you hate on the teacher and principal for being giant idiots just as much
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G, 10 Nov 2014 @ 8:37am

Send her an email.
Send her an email and let her know how stupid she is. She is apparently so stupid she does not realize just how stupid she is.

mchavez@smisd.net
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John85851 (profile), 10 Nov 2014 @ 9:20am

Re: Re: What is wrong with schools
Third - and this is the sad one - the current generation of teachers and administrators were quite possibly coddled as children and young men and women, so did not develop the necessary coping skills.
I agree completely.

But you would think that someone who takes a job as a school administrator, which deals with kids, would have a thick-skin when it comes to kids.

Plus, is this issue really that big of a deal for this lady? The girl used photos of a lot of people, but no one else is complaining that they were "bullied" by having their face as the judge or lawyer or whatever else.
I think another poster got it correct that this lady might have had a run-in with the law and the diorama made her think the girl found about it.
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John Fenderson (profile), 10 Nov 2014 @ 9:55am

The bigger underlying issue
This is what school administrators consider "bullying"? If so, then we clearly can't trust them to recognize and deal with real bullying.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Nov 2014 @ 12:59pm

Re: Why only the Superintendent getting hate?
Because it was her job to say "you are both being idiots". Responsibility of the position and all.
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Fred Mastro, 11 Nov 2014 @ 10:49am

Face
Should start spreading the superintendent's face on a bunch of different bodies and make it go viral.
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Sheogorath (profile), 11 Nov 2014 @ 6:08pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
That would be seen as infringement as there's four factors to consider before you can say "Yep, this is fair use." Better to buy the same books from somewhere where the cost of living is low and get them shipped to you. ;)
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