Student suing from injuries during "Nazi Day"

[heightsyankee]

A former Texas high school student has filed a federal lawsuit saying he was injured while portraying a Jew during a Panhandle school's traditional day of Nazi roleplay.

Perryton High -- located just south of the Oklahoma border -- has an annual "Red Ribbon Day" in which half the students portray Jews in the Nazi era and are forced to obey any commands by students or teachers and be subjected to random discipline, the suit says.

The students playing Jews wear red ribbons.

"[Red ribbon students] must do everything school faculty or other students tell them to, including picking up other students' trash, being taken outside and sprayed with water hoses, bear-crawling across the hot track, carrying other students' books, and even carrying other students," says the suit, filed in federal court by Andrew Yara, 19. "Engaging in this exercise was compulsory, with it constituting 60 percent of a major test grade for students in their World History Class, and any student who did not do everything they were told were receive a failing grade."

Yara says he weighed 100 pounds and was forced to carry a 170-pound student around. He has suffered back injuries and other medical conditions, according to the suit.

Students portraying Jews were also ordered by teachers to stand against a hallway law until one of the Nazi-playing students needed them for something, the suit says.

It seeks unspecified monetary damages and attorney's fees.

We've called the Perryton ISD superintendent but haven't heard back; we'll update when we do.

Ochiltree County, where Perryton is located, appears to be short on actual Jews, by the way.

blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2012/05/nazi_day_perryton_high.php

[doctordonna]

The fuck?
ETA - not the lawsuit, the "day" in general.

[emmybean]

This?

Is fucking amazing.

[iammalcolmx]

May 18, 2012 15:51:55 GMT -5 doctordonna said:

The fuck?

You beat me to it

[pixy0stix]

I get role playing and how it can be a worthwhile educational tool. I don't understand the extremes this was taken too. How can the school justify this?

[doctordonna]

May 18, 2012 15:54:58 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I get role playing and how it can be a worthwhile educational tool. I don't understand the extremes this was taken too. How can the school justify this?

Granted, I didn't read the article thoroughly, but what was being taught here? Was it history? Social sciences? Something completely different?

[heightsyankee]

May 18, 2012 15:59:03 GMT -5 doctordonna said:

May 18, 2012 15:54:58 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I get role playing and how it can be a worthwhile educational tool. I don't understand the extremes this was taken too. How can the school justify this?

Granted, I didn't read the article thoroughly, but what was being taught here? Was it history? Social sciences? Something completely different?

It was for World History class

[doctordonna]

May 18, 2012 15:59:48 GMT -5 heightsyankee said:

May 18, 2012 15:59:03 GMT -5 doctordonna said:

Granted, I didn't read the article thoroughly, but what was being taught here? Was it history? Social sciences? Something completely different?

It was for World History class

Dur. Reading for content is a good thing.

[SpicedApplePie]

I guess we did not learn anything from the Stanford prison experiment.

[emilyj]

Call me crazy, but I think you could do this lesson just fine without spraying kids down with water hoses, carrying other students and making them bear crawl across a track.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

So what do the kids playing Nazis learn?

[KateAggie]

May 18, 2012 16:33:21 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

So what do the kids playing Nazis learn?

Sounds like they learn that it's awesome to be a Nazi.

Education FAIL.

[Deleted]

May 18, 2012 16:48:57 GMT -5 KateAggie said:

May 18, 2012 16:33:21 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

So what do the kids playing Nazis learn?

Sounds like they learn that it's awesome to be a Nazi.

Education FAIL.

You so wrong. lolol

[basilosaurus]

May 18, 2012 16:11:31 GMT -5 SpicedApplePie said:

I guess we did not learn anything from the Stanford prison experiment.

No shit. This is such a terrible idea all the way around.

[psyck]

How awful for those students.

[yellowumbrella]

That's an idiotic lesson plan. I hope they get $$$ and the school finds another way to discuss/explore the holocaust.