Louisiana public school principal apologizes after punishing student for dancing at a party

girlfreddy@sh.itjust.works to News@lemmy.world – 387 points –
Louisiana public school principal apologizes after punishing student for dancing at a party
apnews.com

The 17-year-old student government president and scholarship candidate was videotaped dancing at an off-campus party following Walker High School’s Sept. 30 Homecoming festivities. A hired DJ took the video and posted it on social media. Three days later, Jason St. Pierre, principal of the public high school near the state capital of Baton Rouge, told the student she would be removed from her position with the student government association and that he would no longer recommend her for college scholarships.

At a meeting in his office with the assistant principal, St. Pierre told the student she wasn’t “living in the Lord’s way,” her mother said, according to The Advocate. He printed out Bible verses with highlighted sections and “questioned who her friends were and if they followed the Lord,” the news outlet reported.

In a statement published Sunday on the Livingston Parish Public Schools district Facebook page, St. Pierre reversed course. Citing the significant public attention the episode had received and more time to consider his decision, the principal apologized to the student’s family and undid his previous disciplinary plans. He also addressed his invocation of religion.

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Whenever I read such articles, all I can think is "Gilead moment." But the more I read US news, the more I feel like the country is actually starting to transition there.

GOP has been the party of Gilead for me ever since Roe and this crazy rage boner they now have for LGBTQ+, particularly drag queens and trans folks.

"starting"? I think we started with the gutting of Roe v Wade. Possibly earlier. I already fear for my friends and family who identify as female. And if the Republicans take the White House in 2024, I think it will just get worse and worse.

To be fair, I watch the country from across an ocean, so I don't have the same lived experience a citizen has. I have the naïve believe that there are better places in the country left!

I do admit, though, how incredibly dystopian Roe vs. Wade is and how it's not getting better anytime soon.