Mom sues because son cut from basketball team

There are a lot of crappy parents out there right now folks. I teach middle school, and just yesterday caught a kid cheating in my class. I called his mother, who immediately came to his defence and made excuses for him. I couldn't even get her to agree that he shouldn't have cheated, because she said she "wasn't there and didn't see what happened." (In other words, calling me, the teacher, a liar.) If I had a dime for every mother I've met who thinks her son can do no wrong.......

The lawsuit should be thrown out. The liability of supervision is also at play here. But I'm guessing some random judge who never played sports or was cut will let it go wasting the districts money. This woman should have to pay the districts legal fees for bringing this to court.

As long as crap like this is allowed it will go on and on and on. Your son is not good enough. Now go home, practice harder and make the team next year. Use the setback as motivation rather then taking it to court.

Is this what our society has come to?

The sea yields to knowledge (nice), I'm with you. I live in New York but do not think it's the best place to raise a kid, or even live as an adult. I suspect that NYCer just moved here? As for me, I've always liked the good manners and charm of people from other states, especially southerners.

The sea yields to knowledge wrote:

NYCer wrote:

Realizing that rural life is a horrid experience does not make one a bigot. Choosing rural Georgia over the Upper West Side or Battery Park City simply isn't in the best interest of your kid. You could allow them to live in a place where they can have an interesting life and where they'll meet all kinds of people, but instead you keep them parked in the middle of nowhere so they can sit and let their brain rot from lack of stimulation.

I would think that living in such a large and diverse city as New York would have taught you that different people like and value different things.

NYCer wrote:

The sea yields to knowledge wrote:

Clearly yours didn't teach you not to be a bigot.

Realizing that rural life is a horrid experience does not make one a bigot. Choosing rural Georgia over the Upper West Side or Battery Park City simply isn't in the best interest of your kid. You could allow them to live in a place where they can have an interesting life and where they'll meet all kinds of people, but instead you keep them parked in the middle of nowhere so they can sit and let their brain rot from lack of stimulation.

This is an assinine statement. You do realize that the vast majority of Americans would not for one minute ever contemplate subjecting themselves to raising a family in NYC. I was born there, but for no reason on earth would ever move back there. I hope you are trolling, because you are certainly deluded, if not.

Whats wrong with NYC? Is it the hospitality from the local wildlife?

troof be told wrote:

interesting point wrote:

This does bring up an interesting point. Athletics as a school activity is justified on the basis of its educational value. If school sports exist for educational purposes, why should some students be allowed to participate while others are not? If school sports do not exist for educational purposes, then why do they exist at all?

The educational value to this kid is learning that, despite his generation being told "everyone's special and a winner" that there are in fact winners and losers in life and that nobody's going to just give you what you want if you are undeserving in the real world.

^ this +1

Groundskeeper Willie wrote:

troof be told wrote:

The educational value to this kid is learning that, despite his generation being told "everyone's special and a winner" that there are in fact winners and losers in life and that nobody's going to just give you what you want if you are undeserving in the real world.

^ this +1

Many schools have "gifted program" that all kids do not participate in. Eveybody does not get to be the lead in the school play. A schools job not educated every child the exact same way. The school system educates to ensure that all students have minimum equal basic skills in fudamental subjects. Beyond the basics students are selected or compete based on their specific aptitudes for particular secondary programs, such as the school play, the gifted program, and the basketball team.

Sounds crazy, but after reading the article I have to agree with her.

Her son went thru the process and made the team (as did 8 others) only to be replaced by football players who did not try-out for the basketball team.

PeePPete wrote:

I'm not even going to click the link but let me guess shes black?

Yeah right. Because black people are the minority group most known for their litigiousness and running to the authorities!

As if we needed a reminder of why XC and track are the best sports, period. Everyone is welcome.

I've spent years on the sidelines of my kids soccer, baseball, and hockey teams, and have seen all sorts of bad behavior. Two days ago, I was at our local HS track meet. We have one of the best runners in the state on our team. He was warming up for the 1600m when the girls' 1500m was in progress. Away from everyone, on the back stretch, I saw him interrupt his warmup to get to the side of the track to shout some words of encouragement to a girl running the race, who had to be a good 200m off the leaders.

Maybe I am just old, but really, that in a nutshell is why this is the best sport in the world.

Mojo Jerkin wrote:

As if we needed a reminder of why XC and track are the best sports, period. Everyone is welcome.

I've spent years on the sidelines of my kids soccer, baseball, and hockey teams, and have seen all sorts of bad behavior. Two days ago, I was at our local HS track meet. We have one of the best runners in the state on our team. He was warming up for the 1600m when the girls' 1500m was in progress. Away from everyone, on the back stretch, I saw him interrupt his warmup to get to the side of the track to shout some words of encouragement to a girl running the race, who had to be a good 200m off the leaders.

Maybe I am just old, but really, that in a nutshell is why this is the best sport in the world.

I used to share your view and extended it to the track and field fans. Reading the crap that gets posted here on letsrun has opened my eyes

interesting point wrote:

This does bring up an interesting point. Athletics as a school activity is justified on the basis of its educational value. If school sports exist for educational purposes, why should some students be allowed to participate while others are not? If school sports do not exist for educational purposes, then why do they exist at all?

They obviously are educating him in life. If you suck at your job, your boss has the right to fire you doesn't he? Just getting him ready for the real world. Kids are entirely too soft today.

Mr. Moo wrote:

Sounds crazy, but after reading the article I have to agree with her.

Her son went thru the process and made the team (as did 8 others) only to be replaced by football players who did not try-out for the basketball team.

Doesn't matter. You don't have a protectable interest to play sports, so no due process rights.

Um, does this school not have a JV team? I don't get what the fuss is about if there is. He is a freshman. He made it through 2 tryouts in August. Then gets cut when football is over? Seems like if he can make it trough 2 tryouts and practices till the end of football season, that he would be good to go to play on a freshman team or a JV team right? There is more to this story than is in the article. That's yahoo news for you.

Tryout = Due Process

troof be told wrote:

interesting point wrote:

This does bring up an interesting point. Athletics as a school activity is justified on the basis of its educational value. If school sports exist for educational purposes, why should some students be allowed to participate while others are not? If school sports do not exist for educational purposes, then why do they exist at all?

The educational value to this kid is learning that, despite his generation being told "everyone's special and a winner" that there are in fact winners and losers in life and that nobody's going to just give you what you want if you are undeserving in the real world.

FALSE

interesting point wrote:

This does bring up an interesting point. Athletics as a school activity is justified on the basis of its educational value. If school sports exist for educational purposes, why should some students be allowed to participate while others are not? If school sports do not exist for educational purposes, then why do they exist at all?

It sounds like the kid got cut from varsity. Couldn't he play JV then.

Also he can still do PE.

IusedtoCoach wrote:

Tryout = Due Process

I would agree (as a general proposition - I don't know enough about the facts of this case).

To NYCer, I just want to point out that I didn't mean to put down New York by suggesting that not everyone would want to live there. It's a nice town full of great people.

In the mid-70s I dated one of the early Title XI girls who sued for equal sports. She was at a Division I school. So, they let her on the cross country team. She was going to sue again because they would not wait for her (run her pace) on training runs! She could run 10 minute miles on a good day. Dumped her when she told me that she was going to sue again. Don't know what happened.