Throughout the past month in school, we have seen a lot of ugly come out from students and parents alike. There has been blatant disrespect towards staff and administration that has been visible to everyone within the school community. This was especially evident when students were protesting the mask mandate that was lifted as of Feb. 28.

Prior to Feb 28, the school was following a state mandate regarding the requirements of masks in school. However, while the mandate was still in place, there were occurrences when staff members would request that a student pull up or put on their mask; various times, these requests would be challenged by the student. At both NC and SC, there were incidents where a student would reply to the staff member with a raised voice or would just flat out ignore the request and walk away. 

There is no need for a student to oppose what an adult staff member is lawfully asking of them, especially in a school setting. As students, we should never disrespect a staff member who is just doing their job; chances are that staff member has your best intentions at heart as well. There should be zero tolerance for disrespect towards our school staff, and students need to be aware of this.

During this time in early February, students were also skipping out on class in order to protest their views, whether they were for wearing masks or against. Protest is a given right; however, there is no need to disrupt the learning environment of other students for your own personal motive. We also should not be skipping class in general; education is a privilege and students are abusing it. It was also a privilege that LT allowed these students to express their views. The Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District Court case ruled that in public schools, students cannot be censored for expressing their views, unless the act of expression results in substantial disruption of the school day, or if the actions of the protestors impede on others rights. Students’ refusal to comply with the rules that were in place at the time should have resulted in quicker and more severe repercussions. This is especially since they were choosing to skip class on their own accord to protest against a temporary rule, which disrupted the educational environment. 

These actions should have gotten the students who participated in these protests an unexcused absence, instead of a seat in the Reber Center and a place in the upper NC gyms. While leniency is good in a variety of circumstances, this leniency within our school community is causing students to think that they can get away with whatever they want, whenever they want. The tolerance for this behavior is also leading students to believe that they do not necessarily have to accept consequences for their actions, which is setting them up for failure in the future. 

Take responsibility for your actions and do not get upset or fight back when there are fair repercussions to match the act you have committed. In general, we as a school community need to work on cultivating an environment where everyone is respected, as it seems like we lack that moral aspect overall. 

Staff Vote: 25-0