13-year-old Briar MacLean stepped in between an assailant, whose name has not been released, who was brandishing a knife while attacking another student. MacLean pushed the attacker away, and the bully was subdued.
MacLean was thanked by the victim; the young man then went about his day at school. However, several periods later, according to both Briar and the school, he "got called to the office and... wasn’t able to leave until the end of the day.” He received the equivalent of in-school suspension.
The reason? A teacher had seen what MacLean had done, told the principal, who then phoned the police... on Briar. The police then searched the young man's locker and he was asked for a statement.
Briar's mother, Leah O’Donnell, recalled asking the teacher who reported her son about the incident: “I asked: ‘In the time it would have taken him to go get a teacher, could that kid’s throat have been slit?’ She said yes, but that’s beside the point. That we ‘don’t condone heroics in this school.’ ”
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| MacLean |
“He stuck up for himself with a bully one time and they actually gave him heck for that, too. He had a friend stick up for him in that situation and I’m taking the two of them to Disneyland in two weeks. Because if you stick up for my kid, I’m going to treat you right.”More from the National Post:
“What are they teaching them? That when you go out into the workforce and someone is not being very nice to you, you have to tattle to your boss? You’re not going to get promoted that way,” she said.Save a life: get punished.
Most of the time bullies back down when confronted, she added.
“What are we going to do if there are no heroes in the world? There would be no police, no fire, no armed forces. If a guy gets mugged on the street, everyone is going to run away and be scared or cower in the corner. It’s not right.”
The Calgary Board of Education did not respond to a request for comment.
If the school doesn't support heroics, by definition it supports cowardice. Who are these teachers and administrators accountable to? They should all be fired.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read in the Bible that there will be a time when good is called evil and evil is called good, I didn't understand how it could be. Now I do. These people are evil, and they are teaching our children. It's time we get involved and push them out.
You are awesome Guitta... thanks for saying that.
Deletewe practice the biblically approved HOME SCHOOL method, and teach our kids to defend themselves and others.
Deletepublic schools went to hell way before my wife & i attended and we're in our 40's.
I so totally agree with you, the teachers, and principal so much need to see what their attitude, policy is actually teaching the students, and to show what is needed is more like the two who helped each other out, they are the ones who should be rewarded, and the teachers and staff should have their policies changed, and they need a whole new perspective on what is right and what is wrong !!! Reading the Bible and seeing what is right, and what is wrong is made clear in many ways, though it does take one of faith to help understand the areas not quite so clear.
DeleteMorons running that school. John A. McDonald have complete morons running that school. Did anyone search the boy with the knife not Briar MacLean. This is a law suit. When do teachers allow other students to cut another throat. Sad the school is full of cowards. Heroics was not on this young mans mind saving a life. The police in Canada are also very stupid did they search the boy who tried to kill his class mate? What happen to the person who tried to kill another person? This story is lacking the What Happen to the knife carring student.
DeleteIGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
ReplyDeleteFREEDOM IS SLAVERY
and now...
COWARDICE IS BRAVERY
“What are they teaching them? That when you go out into the workforce and someone is not being very nice to you, you have to tattle to your boss? You’re not going to get promoted that way,” she said.
ReplyDeleteAnswer: Absolutely, you go to the boss. Because if you don't? Next thing, I'm dealing with HR complaints that you are "creating a hostile work environment" and I'm bouncing you out the door so that I can avoid a lawsuit.
This doesn't mean I agree with the school - far from it, they're idiots to say they "don't condone heroics" - but school isn't the workplace. Go Batman all you want in school; don't do it in the workplace. In the workplace, you get promoted for following the rules, not for playing vigilante.
That is quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I've heard since the IRS testimony.
DeleteThis kid and his actions are nothing close to what a vigilante is. A vigilante is someone who acts outside the law when lawful actions would be possible. A hero is someone who acts to save another's life when the law can't. Perhaps you should learn the difference before denouncing or belittling this HERO'S actions.
The thing about gutless bosses, who scurry under a rock when threatened with a lawsuit, is that they tend to create the very atmosphere that allows them to be sued in the first place.
Anonymous is surely right in saying that those who do well should be rewarded and those who do unwell should be punished and bosses who would not reward an employee who did well should be fired. -- Ray Downen. missionoutreach.org.
Delete"OH Canada, we stand on guard for bullies"
ReplyDeleteBTW...it is principal...not principle
It may have been intentional... We were taught to remember it with "The principal is your PAL" This one obviously is not.
Deletewhy is it that there has to be someone on these bloggs that sees themselves as the spelling police....can't you just be grown up enough to let things go??
DeleteIt's spelled "blogs". And, if we let this stuff go it becomes the norm. A norm that is, in essence, wrong.
DeleteNot only is the word spelled "blog", another word makes my skin crawl, the use of the plural "themselves" to refer to male or female singular.
DeleteWe used to recognize that "mankind" referred also to women, but when the feminazis got into the act, they demanded that instead of using "she" and "he", we use the all-encompassing but ridiculous substitute "them", "their".
I still say "he" and "him" (etc.) to refer to a singular of either sex because he and him is generic for all of mankind. Example: "Everyone's opinion is his own responsibility" His, not their. Thank you.
With any sort of luck, the Mounties or the Canadian equivalent of one of our special ops groups will politely suggest to the principal they like to borrow the school auditorium to present MacLean with an award.
ReplyDeleteBullying has always existed, always will, it's a part of human nature. Historically, kids that are able to stand up to bullies tend to become leaders as they get older..
I'm not suggesting the average kid should step in front of someone playing Mack the Knife, but Brian obviously had the skills and was capable of dealing with the situation. He should be rewarded, not punished for doing the right thing..
On the other hand, possibly the Canadian government can arrange a little sabbatical in Afghanistan for the teacher and principal. They might learn something about the value of courage.
I'm going to link this over on my website, along with my comment - nice job of reporting
this school deserved to be shut down forever! thats sick! they say that the fact that if briar didnt save the kid his throat would've been slit is beside the point!? what kind of sick school is this?! there needs to be a petition on either demanding the school be shut down or demanding they withold the stupid rule of not being allowed to save students! this makes me sick! the kid deserved a medal for his bravery! maybe even more then that!
ReplyDeleteBut you must realize that this is Canada we're talking about. Great country, Canada. But Mark Steyn wrote a book)he's a conservative) and was charged with some PC infraction and I think fined and threatened with prison if he tried to sell his book in Canada. I'm fuzzy about the facts; as Jay Carney lied, "That was a long time ago".
DeleteSo Mr. Steyb is now an American citizen. Look it up. You can be hauled before the Human Rights Commission for speaking your mind.
And THAT is already HERE in the good 'ol USA, thanks to Obama.
The teacher that said that is an idiot. We don't condone heroics but obviously a dead child is OK.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope that one day (hopefully very soon) this principal and teacher find themselves in a life threatening situation and no one will come to their aid. That they should have their throats slit in a similar encounter and not a single soul would bother to help would surely be no great loss to society. This would also serve as a very valuable lesson to their equally morally bankrupt colleagues that just maybe "heroics" are not such a bad thing!
DeleteOne of the problems here is government run schools. Almost all bureaucrats (like the people running the school system) are gutless wonders who want to drag everybody else down to their level. Seriously ask yourself why home schooled children consistently out perform those taught by "professionals". Next, ask yourself why they abhor the idea of being paid or retained based on performance. Connect the dots.
ReplyDeleteRE: the teacher who saw Briar defend the other student, then ratted him out; why was he just watching the confrontation? Why didn't he step in to subdue the bully? Or do they condone/promote coward teachers as well?
ReplyDeleteMmmm, my best guess?! Because he is a spineless gutless coward, and a wuss!!.....And yeah, unfortunately in today's world these are exactly the kind of ass kissing backstabbing sonsofbitches who get promoted!!.....Thank God Almighty I am retired from a ------- bureaucracy that got progressively worse in that regard with the passage of time. I was sometimes asked: "Hum, why don't you become a supervisor, you'd make a good one?!" My standard reply to such inquiries "Thanks but no thanks, I am much more inclined to kick ass and take names than to kiss ass and play games!!".
Deletescary isn't it? what people really should be wondering is what is being taught there if a teacher who thinks that way is there "teaching".
ReplyDeleteWhat are they teaching? Turn a blind eye. What else are they teaching? Bullying is OK. As a matter of fact, it's downright the right thing to do! This is also what they are teaching in the schools in the U.S. Do not be fooled, this problem is society wide, not just isolated to Canada.
ReplyDeleteThe reason they are teaching bullying is OK, and that folks should turn a blind eye is because that is what the sick socialists of the world do. They bully. They barge right in, do what they want, and tell us they know what's good for us. And we are to turn a blind eye, and take it like good little slaves.
Thank God for heroes like Briar, and damn the gutless, spineless bastards totally lacking gonads and daring to call themselves "educators" and "administrators"!...Oh well, I guess this is just one more indicator of what a screwed up world in which we live, where right is called wrong and wrong is called right. However, take heart people, the day is rapidly approaching when the "meek will inherit the Earth", meekness being defined here NOT as cowardice but as having the strength and ability to subdue evil and knowing when to exercise that strength and God-given ability!!
ReplyDeleteAs for the teachers not getting involved? Yes, they're teaching that too. By doing so they delude themselves and parents with the statement, "We have a zero tolerance policy on bullying. We empower students with the words to..."blah blah blah. Almost every school now has something like this written in their 'official' school hand book. What "empowering words" are they teaching? "I don't like it when you do that." "That's not nice to say." "It hurts my feelings when you do/say that". NOT kidding. They call them "I words". That is their definition of "empowering". Only after saying these "I words" and doing everything to "avoid" the bully (i.e. walk away) are they even told to go to a teacher. Otherwise, it's tattling. Even when they go to a teacher, it is considered hearsay if the teacher didn't see it happen. The accusing child is treated like a criminal, while the bully gets the, "Now Johnny, what's your side of the story?"
ReplyDeleteThere are little to no consequences for any wrong doing anymore. Tolerance (i.e. acceptance) of this kind of behavior is now the norm.
This is a sad world today, which reveals the need for teaching what is Right and What is wrong. The only place you will really get the TRUTH is from the one source that so many are now denying accessiblity to because they don't want to believe the consequences of their actions are taking them to the place they don't believe in. In case you hadn't figured that out the Truth is Jesus, the place of unbelievers who won't choose to believe is Hell, because both Heaven and Hell are real, no one it seems wants to believe it. When they do their lives should change . But the schools are having a tough time these days because they don't want the 10 commandments there to show the students what is right and what is wrong, so guess what, wrong is being committed even more because there are no real strong social guidelines. God gave them for a reason ! Man doesn't want to accept that reason, their need of Salvation, and that is the REAL TRUTH. Saving another's life is commendable, not otherwise !
ReplyDeleteAre you sure we are talking about Canada and not France?
ReplyDeleteHas the whole world lost it's balance and decency? Good heavens, then what is it that you DO teach at that school? He was not being heroic, he SAVED A PERSONS LIFE!! Someone should have asked the principal; 'If that was your child being nearly killed, would you think the same stupid way?' What should the boy have done...just let the other kid get killed or hurt or walk away? What have we become anyway?
ReplyDeleteBriar's mother, Leah O’Donnell, recalled asking the teacher who reported her son about the incident: “I asked: ‘In the time it would have taken him to go get a teacher, could that kid’s throat have been slit?’ She said yes, but that’s beside the point. That we ‘don’t condone heroics in this school.’ ”
ReplyDeleteThat teacher is a coward and a complete moron. I would like to thank Briar MacLean for doing the right thing in a police state like Canada.