Wherever you go, there will be some debates in which neither side will relent – Pepsi vs. Coke, Nike vs. Adidas, and, on a more serious note, “lifers” vs “choicers.” The argument on the ethics of abortion has been a timeless one – should people have the freedom to do as they please with their body, or should they respect the value of the potential human life within them? There are several arguments on either side, but two weeks ago, an Ontario high school took a rather… extreme stance on the issue.
Earlier this month, St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Thunder Bay, Ontario held a “Day of Silence” – a school-wide event to show solidarity for pro-lifers. As a part of the day, students were asked to wear a plain white t-shirt with red tape that read “Life,” presumably to show support for the pro-life side. However, a group of 24 students, not agreeing with the stance taken by the school, showed up with green tape that said “Choice” in protest. The school asked those 24 students to remove the tape – 17 of whom complied. The rest, however? They chose to refuse to take the tape off, and were subsequently suspended.
To be fair to the school’s administration, it was their prerogative to suspend the students, and they had the right to do so. By refusing to listen to the school’s requests, the students showed insubordination and defiance, behaviour that will often lead to disciplinary action of some sort. Moreover, there is a time and place to protest, and I’m not sure if doing so in the middle of school, where there are pre-existing policies, guidelines, and expectations for behaviour, is the best of ideas. All things considered, I can’t say I’m surprised that these students were suspended for their actions.
That being said, however, the issue at hand here is much more fundamental than whether or not these students should have been suspended. The problem here is that the school is expecting its students to adhere to its values in their entirety – an unfair expectation in my opinion. I think that regardless of whether we are talking religion, politics, or any other “hot-button” topic, there will not be any single belief system that will 100% match what any given individual feels. Some might argue that if these students’ values don’t fall in line with traditional Catholic values, they shouldn’t be attending a Catholic school. However, the fact of the matter is that everyone has unique and individual values and beliefs, and these values and beliefs should not be repressed – especially not in a nation where freedom of thought and speech are promoted.
These students had their own views – views that differed from those of the school’s. Did the school have the right to suspend them? Yeah, I think that blatant defiance does warrant a suspension. However, at the same time, it was not a reasonable decision in my mind; the opinions expressed by the students were neither illegal nor were they offensive or derogatory. The students might not have gone about sharing these opinions in the best manner, but they have a right to the freedom of expression, and I personally feel that it is a constitutional and fundamental transgression to suspend them for going against the proverbial grain.