Silliness In Walker, MI

[Dave]

This is easily one of the dumber things I've read today. The principal appears to be on some sort of weird power trip to think that because drivers might of had their commutes interrupted on one day that it somehow should translate into suspending 60 kids for riding their bikes. If it wasn't for the fact that the kids let the police know about the bike ride and that the mayor of the city was riding in a police car that was giving the kids an escort that would be one thing.. if these kids had just haphazardly put the bike ride together then maybe, maybe I could see the principal taking the action she did. 

WALKER, Mich. (WZZM)- Sixty Kenowa High School students are suspended today after they road their bikes to school as part of their 'senior prank.'

The students are seniors and today was their last day of school. However, when they arrived to  class this morning the principal suspended them for the day.

The students notified police and even had an escort but they got in trouble because they didn't inform principal, Katie Pennington.  She says the bike ride caused a traffic back-up and created a safety hazard at the high school which is just off 4 Mile Road.  "It was causing a problem, they were taking up a lane of traffic,' said Pennington. So it was an inconvenience for parents, teachers, but it was also a safety risk."

Parents and students started contacting the WZZM 13 Information Center as soon as they learned about the disciplinary action. Parent Paula Norris said, "I feel these kids should be back in school where they belong, they need to finish what they started. Get lockers cleaned out, walk the halls and say goodbye."

Student Mitch Breuker said they thought they had followed proper procedures, "We called police, we had an escort, lights on, mayor sitting in front seat of police car. I thought we did this completely right."

We will continue to follow this story and bring you updates as soon they become available.

With reporting by Sarah Sell

http://www.wzzm13.com/rss/article/212805/313/Students-suspended-for...

[XLFD]

60 bicyclists taking up one whole traffic lane on a ride to school, escorted by police and the mayor?!  Sounds like a month of detention for all of them to me.

Great job, Dave, you beat me to the scoop on this one.  I was reading about this story on the WOOD website while you were putting this up.  Along with the plagiarizing superintendant of Zeeland, this shows that school administration has been pulling their own pranks on the public.  Here's their take on it: 

Biking Kenowa Hills seniors punished: woodtv.com

[Dave]

Even calling the bike ride a prank is kind of silly. Riding a bike to school as a prank is nowhere near some of the senior pranks I've seen over the years. My old high school had a couple courtyards on either side of the library and one class somehow managed to get a junker car inside one of them... now that was a prank.

[XLFD]

You would happen to know that the School Board was scheduled to meet tonight, a notable no-show was Principal Pennington.  This ignorant lady doesn't seem to understand when bicyclists ride together as a group, it is actually a lot safer-- if motorists refrain from doing illegal traffic maneuvers-- which is a big "if".  This was a well organized "critical mass" event that was totally legal and safer than 60 kids biking to school separately.

Parents outraged by bike ride reaction: woodtv.com

[Willy]

First of all I do think it was inconsiderate to hold up traffic during rush hour but they did have the City's approval. As far as the school is concerned it really was none of their business. The kids were on their own time and were not on school property.  I'm sure the principal is going to regret her decision but in her defense I'm sure she received a lot of complaints about the students and was angry so she just reacted without thinking.

[Dave]

Guess the principal had a bit of a change of heart.. and probably didn't help that many parents showed up at the school board meeting the same night as the incident.

Kenowa super, principal apologize

Bike-riding seniors initially suspended

Updated: Wednesday, 23 May 2012, 2:22 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 23 May 2012, 2:22 PM EDT

WALKER, Mich. (WOOD) - Kenowa Hills High School principal Katie Pennington and superintendent Gerald Hopkins apologized for initially suspending about 60 seniors biking to school with a police escort and the mayor.

A police cruiser escorted about 60 students and the Walker mayor to the school on Tuesday. But Principal Katie Pennington was incensed the school did not know about it and suspended the students for some end-of-year activities.

Angry parents and students flooded a Kenowa Hills school board meeting Tuesday night with harsh words for the high school principal.

In a written statement, Pennington said , "Yesterday, I made a mistake and sincerely regret my actions. Did I overreact? In retrospect, of course I did. My first response to learning of our high school seniors riding bikes to school on busy roads was to fear for their safety, and I responded in kind. I apologize to the students, their parents and the community for a reaction that blew this incident out of proportion and called into questions the character of our students."

In the same statement, Hopkins said, "As I look back on this incident, I realize this was an adult problem, not a student problem. The adults in school administration, the police department and city administration didn't communicate as well as they could, and I take responsibility for the superintendent for ensuring better communication in the future. ... I apologize to the students, parents and community for not having arrived at a better solution."

The students will be able to go through their Senior Walk and participate in the graduation ceremonies.

Walker Police Chief Catherine Garcia-Lindstrom initiated an internal investigation into the incident for knowing about the event and not informing superior officers ahead of time.

[XLFD]

This is a nice turn in the sequence of events, and I hope Principal Pennington does use her newly donated bicycle to routinely show how to best organize bicycle rides to school for the students in the future, by leading these herself, and finding out the realities of bicycle safety.

But a sour turn comes when the Police Chief launches an internal investigation into this incident.  The mantle of bonehead was passed to her from the principal.  Hopefully, these new graduates-to-be will not wind up as neurotic and messed up as the prior generation's leaders seem to be down in Walker.