Portland, Tennessee Blog

Just wondering....does anyone watch Channel 3 ?
If so, how many times have you watched the swearing-in ceremony for the new Council ?
( I think I've watched it at least 30 times..)

Do you all listen to the Tim Coker or Daniel's radio show? ( I do...I enjoy them )

Just a little poll I'm taking...till a new subject appears here...LOL

Welcome, MDL......:)

Thanks for the info Deeanna! I haven't gotten to read the paper yet. When is someone going to add the new thread for this weeks paper on here?

I just read the front page of the Portland Leader.

The girl didn't get to walk in the graduation line with her class.

I've only heard the rumor about Target....I don't know any facts about it. I sure hope it's true, though.....wouldn't that be neat ? Franklin's going to get all the business !!
Does anyone know if the Walgreen's is still going to be built where Ponderosa used to be?

And I heard the 109 project had been stopped....something about a problem with the State??

I heard that Franklin was getting a Target beside the new Lowe's. Anyone know anything about this?

I haven't heard, did the student with the piercings get to walk in graduation??

Mike Callis is a cheater when it comes to dunking booths guys, keep your eye on him...seriously though, he was the biggest contributor of the day, we raised $134 bucks in about 2 hours for the animal shelter.

Mack...the city is short $202 because of that...LOL LOL LOL

I never got a census card, nor was I asked by anyone door to door, so you can (or could have) add TWO to the final total.

Oh, I almost forgot:

Councilman Callis, did you REALLY????? You cheater you . . . that is just TOO FUNNY!!! ;)

WOW- that IS a huge return. It never ceases to amaze me what can be learned on this blog. Interesting stuff!

Thanks for the responses!

Gotta love this blog ! You ask questions...you get answers ! Well, that IS a good return on the money ! Thanks, Councilman Callis.

I am not sure all the numbers are in on the cost of the census, but I believe the last one we did cost us only about $5000.00. That it is a huge return on a minimum investment. This was due to the hard work of city employees.

The strawberry festival was a great event this year and the weather really helped.
The Mayor should get a lot of credit, he set out to make sure the town would be kept clean all day and the workers did a fantastic job!

Amy Wald (chamber director) worked really hard to bring things together and mainstreet had a lot of activity also.

Daniel stayed wet.....:)
I did cheat though, I gave my money and went up and hit the paddle. My first 2 throws were high and I had to see him go in.
He was a good sport and they raised money for a good cause.

Also I appreciate the help the sumner county sheriff's department gave the city Saturday, it really helped out.
There were a lot of city workers who put in a very long day and I appreciate that.

From the Gallatin Paper.

Wednesday, 05/16/07
Unofficial special census results tallied
By Jennifer Easton
The News Examiner

A A A

Unofficial results from Portland’s special census put the city’s population total at 10,941.

The new population count represents an increase of 895 people, said Mayor Ken Wilber.

The city conducted a special census in 2004, which brought the population from 8,458 in 2000 to 10, 046, census records show.

The city will receive $101 in additional revenue for each person counted.

Wilber said although he was hoping the city would meet the 11,000-population mark; he was still pleased with the outcome.

“It means nearly $90,000 in additional revenue (each year) from the state for our general fund,” he said.

“At a growth rate of 8 percent from 2004, the extra revenue will go a long way in helping us pay for more police officers and improve on other city services.”

Wilber added he was thankful to Portland residents for returning their census cards and to city employees who worked many hours making calls and knocking on doors.

Maybe one of the council persons can tell us how much the census actually cost.

Daniel, thank you for that info !
I think this years festival and parade was the best ever since I've lived here. It had a professional-looking touch to it, this year.

About the cost of the census and how much money the city gets and who decides how it's spent....I don't have any answers, but I would imagine that the City Council will be deciding that.

That will be an answer I look forward to seeing.
It must be worth it, the mayor said people would be knocking on your door, if you didn't send the card in !

DeAnna,
They're considering doing that, the fire department would stay at the current public safety building and city hall would move to Victor Reiter Parkway. Nothing has been decided fully yet.
I would also like to say how great this festival was this year. Great job everybody!

Ok, graduation is over and the strawberry festival is over - I have a couple of questions.

Just HOW MUCH money does the City get for EACH person who resides in Portland? And WHO is going to decide how that extra money is spent?

And how much did it COST the City to conduct the census?
Printing cards, mailing cards, prizes for returning cards and wages paid to, as reported in the Portland Progressive, " . . . several city employees who worked MANY HOURS (emphasis added) on the project making calls and knocking on doors in an effort to obtain information that was not returned on the census cards."

It may be that the payoff is worth it, but I don't know, which is why I am asking. Does anyone out there know the answer?

I heard a rumor the other day.....is it true that the Police Dept. is going to be moving into the City Hall building ?
And City Hall is going to be moving over to a building in an Industrial Park somewhere?
Just wondering.

AWESOME Job by the City and our Chamber for this year's Strawberry Festival!!

I was extremely pleased down town. The square was in overload with vendors along with main street, what I seen this year that really stuck out was the EVENT STAFF, not an overflowing trash can on the square did I see, how refreshing as in years past the barrells were piled high and then some. GREAT JOB! I saw a professionally run event and one that Portland should be VERY Proud of! WAY TO GO EVERYONE who played a part in this years event!!

Mack...just read your comments. You're right...the Strawberry Festival was handled a LOT better.....I was very happy to see the Event Staff in red shirts along the parade route to help it be safer this year.

I went over to the park this evening for the concert.....have to say..the park is beautiful at night......what a great opportunity Portland has for some great shows there in the future.

Job well done, Portland !

I just wanted to say kudos to the city and all those responsible, as this year's festival was handled MUCH better than last year's. I am so glad that there was Event Staff keeping people back from the street as much as possible, and I am so glad that the parade kept steady without major breaks between the participants.

The crowd was great, and I saw a lot of old friends. Too bad this is the only day out of the year that anyone goes out of their way to come to Portland.....

On an unrelated note....kudos also to the codes department for making these lazy bums across town mow their lawns and dispose of junk cars. I have called, and within days, the situation has been remedied. People, if your neighbor isn't mowing, CALL...talk to Randall. He is very friendly, and will get right on your request, and will also answer any questions you may have!

Portland....well done job today!!!

If it is.....I haven't seen it. I was talking about the two new signs they just put up, though.
I was wondering about the signs.

Deanna,
Isn't a portion of Hwy 109 named in Ronnie McDowell's honor?

I'm looking forward to the Ronnie McDowell concert tonight. I think it's really great of him to do that for Portland, as he has numerous times over the years. My question for the blog is this -
Ronnie put Portland on the map in 1977 with his hit, The King is Gone, the tribute song to Elvis Presely. Corey Brewer put Portland on the map in 2007 with his basketball win. Why did it take THIRTY YEARS to put up a sign honoring Ronnie?

Curious if the student was allowed to walk at graduation?

I also noticed town didn't look too festive, but also don't have many strawberries this year either due to the weather.

Hope the city charged/fined the businesses for having to mow their yards.

I'm guessing the bug bite story didn't get much thread response because it was posted in last weeks section and many people don't go back and look at those threads some times....

I would like to encourage everyone going to the many activities today to dispose of your trash appropriately. Take a empty grocery sack or something, but please don't litter.

I am appalled at the mess at the Middle School which is normally fairly well kept. Trash is EVERYWHERE, including beer cans. IT'S A SCHOOL PARKING LOT FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!

According to the Tennessean....

Friday, 05/18/07

Piercings keep graduate from walking tonight
Principal says policy violated

I wasn't there...I don't know...but that's what the paper says.

Well
Did she or didn't she walk the line?

City employees mowing businesses' yards???

Will comment on this later.

I have to agree. The town doesn't look too festive. You would think the town and the business' would do a better job of decorating for this yearly event.

The city employees did do a good job of cleaning the town. I even saw some city employees mowing yards for some of the business owners. Seems like the business owners could mow themselves or hire someone to mow for them.

The Gallatin paper stated that Portland will be getting additional money because of the recent censes. Maybe they can use some of that money to decorate next year.

Enjoyed being on the show and I think a lot of Daniel; we have opposing views on several things, but I think he is a stand up guy and his reporting is very fair.

As far as the dunkin booth....
well lets just say that Portland doesn't need any beached whales!

Councilman Callis, I made a special point of listening today because Daniel noted you were to be a guest on his show, I thought it was very informative and enjoy hearing about what is going on within our town. Besides that.... I thought maybe you were going to announce that you were going to join Daniel in the Dunkin tank Saturday since he can't swim... LOL ;) Hey... just a follow up on your basketball talk, how about Donkey Basketball, City Council against Business Owners losers get to clean up the court!

Michelle - Your right about the other news worthy article, I believe you are referring to the Bug Bite, I was a little surprised too that nobody got any threads going on that one, it could be that story was in the paper and had been all over the news and the graduation issue came out after the papers were out, don't know.

DeeAnna - I agree, next year they really need to focos on drawing attention to this event ahead of time and during the festival, I was just commenting the other day that the only thing I see is the signs, and they really don't GRAB your attention. Other than that I think a FINE job has been done with organizing more and making it better this year. A GREAT BIG "Way to GO"

About the Strawberry Festival --- one suggestion for next year ???

Why doesn't the city try to make the city look "festive" for the Strawberry Festival?
Why can't they put pretty banners across the street on each end of town,weeks ahead of time, so everyone who drives through town can know there is going to be something really neat going on this weekend?

And why can't they tie pretty red ribbons on all the telephone poles or at every intersection or have something really pretty to draw attention to it for all the people who pass through town to see and know that Portland is really looking forward to a neat event like this.

I just got back from Food Lion....town looks sorta dead ....wish it could look Festive.

Quoting the Lady "Also, don't you dare write me another scathing remark as you have done."

Or what (rolling my monkey eye’s)..!!??

Truly I do hope at the last minute the school changes their mind and allows the Band-Aid thing. I know I was a proud monkey when I saw my offspring run across the stage, jump into the principles arms and except that rolled up piece of paper.. What a night..!!....;)

Daniel, since you said I based my opinion on assumptions well.... I did assume that her teachers saw her in class everyday and saw the piercings. I would have thought that one of the teachers would have said....you are breaking the dress code,& send a letter home to the parent...not wait till graduation to make an issue of it. However that assumption could be wrong. The teachers may very well have not looked at this girl at all....who knows? I just assumed teachers noticed the students in their classes and looked at them and made eye contact when they taught...and if they saw something wrong...they should have put discipline in place to correct it.

Gosh, I even saw her picture on the front page of the Gallatin paper this afternoon with an article about it. The Gallatin Paper, I believe it's called.

I think the school needs to admit they let this one get by them and should be embarassed for putting Portland Schools and this student on the front pages like this. Why put a black mark on graduation .. what pupose did it really serve?

Daniel you should not have announced I was on today; your ratings will go down bad.
But I will be there shortly and look forward to talking with you.

JW-you're right, it's harder than it looks, you should come by and be a guest sometime. Mike Callis is going to be on today. Judy, I think we're going to get started around noon. :)

Correction, not practically . . . completely.

You know, I really must take this opportunity to point out how laughable this whole debate about PIERCINGS has taken on a life of it's own while another school problem of a, arguably, much more serious consequence was practically ignored in last week's FRONT PAGE.

This in no way changes my opinion that the school should exercise their discretionary powers that they exercise every other day of the year and just let the girl participate in the graduation ceremonies alongside her classmates. I just thought I would point that out.

Daniel, Judy,

You all are too funny!!! LOL

By the way daniel....I am going to(gulp)be listening this afternoon.

I know radio is not an easy gig....I did radio for nearly 20 years and loved it. If people could only hear what goes on in the studio's when the microphone is off....

Daniel - Your comment to DeeAnna and I that we are basing our opinions on assumptions, is then followed by this statement "Well I've looked at the senior pics and I see nothing very obvious. Not saying they're not there, but saying it's definitely not obvious." Forgive me for being confused, buttttttt. I think you are missing my point, the school needs to be consistant and not just when they feel like it. ohhh and btw Daniel, I was addressing DeeAnna below because she has been very consistent on this topic as she has been called out before for kinda flip flopping, this was not highlighted because of how she thought.

Now that they are enforcing the dress code at graduation who will be there doing a dress code check under all the caps and gowns to make sure the remainder of the dress code is being enforced on Graduation night? Sounds silly doesn't it?

Daniel, what time does the DUNKIN start Saturday?? I'de like to be 2nd in line behind JW. LOL

JW,-I can't believe you agree with me, *sob* I love you man...
But seriously guys, what are we talking about here? This is typical American stuff. Half the world would walk through fire to have a diploma and in this country we're practically handed one for being able to tie our shoes and now we seem to want to push things and see what we can get away with.
Judy and DeeAnna, you guys are basing too much of your opinion on assumptions. You're assuming that teachers and or principals saw these piercings based on the mother's words. Well I've looked at the senior pics and I see nothing very obvious. Not saying they're not there, but saying it's definitely not obvious.
This is my problem, teachers cannot catch every bad thing that happens at school but when a parent knowingly puts their child in this situation what do you expect? My guess is maybe the student had some laid back teachers who didn't want to hassle her over her jewelry and then when graduation practice started an administrator saw it and said no way will they walk. Be glad you had some warning because I saw my mother take kids out of graduation line on the night of because of stuff like this.
Students and parents know the rules and they know they will be subject to them. It would have been better if this had been adressed earlier but here's my thing about the code of conduct and how everyone is saying it's bad and who cares about the piercings anyway?
Who decides the code? A major part is the board of education. Who decides who goes on the board? The voters. How many people in Portland usually vote during elections of any sort? Well under 40 percent.
So one could assume that we have a community here that knows things are wrong but still allows them to happen and a community that could influence rules and legislation but chooses to stay home on election days. So in my opinion, you have no opinion if you don't vote.

I feel it is pretty bad in this day and age that when you register for an event on line, such as the strawbeery fest fun run, you try to register in a timely manner on line and then to find out on your credit card statement that more was charged than explained in the paperwork given by the city. This online company that they are using is a rip off. THey are charging a processing fee and not telling you untill they charge your card. They claim it is in the agreement part, but NOWHERE is it told in the registration of the event. The strawberry committee needs to be aware of this and post it on the registration forms they are handing out.
THis is just a convenience to the consumers that are paying for this.

Well, something happened and my last sentence got cut off..my computer did a strange thing..

Anyway...what I was trying to say is....it's Friday and the Strawberry Festival is going to be fun and I'm looking forward to walking around town seeing everything, having some strawberry shortcake, watching the parade, and going to the Ronnie McDowell concert ! See you all there !

Judy - you summed up the school situation perfectly with the last paragraph :
"I more so hope the school will do the right thing not just now but in the future and NOT close their eyes until someone opens their mouth, or decides on some significant point in time that they are going to start enforcing the rules they have been blind to the majority of the time, or enforce the rules fairly, what's applies to one is good for all."
Gosh, I wish that could be put on the front page of both the Leader and the Progressive in bold ink!

Well, it's Friday - and the Strawberry Fest

Man has this thread turned in to a rant or what!!!?

For what it is worth here is my opinion. First of all, Daniel and I have rarely seen eye to eye, his type of politics and mine are very different....BUT...I completely agree with everything Daniel has said in this thread.

As for the piercings....I really am not sure how I feel about this....all I can say is this. I have a son and a daughter, and if either one of them came to me and wanted to get anything other than thier ears pierced, I as their parent would say absolutely NOT! I am the parent, and they will abide by the rules I set. If they want to practice some form of self mutilation, they can do that when they leave home for good! Not to mention surgically implanted piercings. OH MY GOD!!!! I fear to even attempt a look at that!!!!

However, different strokes for different folks may apply here. I can not judge someone for allowing thier children to do this. That is THEIR children, I don't have to raise their children or deal with any of the consequences of how they raised thier children. I can only raise MY children in the way that I see as best.

Seems to me there should be some sort of compromise in this case as it appears that BOTH sides are in the wrong in this case for reasons stated over and over in this thread.

A few things:

DeeAnna - Impressed with your posts here on this topic, great job of having an opinion and sticking to it.

Ms Elliott and all other new posters - Welcome to the Blog, I only wish it were under better circumstances. Ms Elliott, I respect you as a parent who has come forth to support your child and the fact that you are doing so openly using your real name instead of an alias, such as Bubba ;) I know you have read some posts that are disheartening on this blog, but keep in mind that it is a blog and by far does not represent the majority of our town. As you can see there are many on here that are in support of your child and those of us that support her hope for a resolution in this matter.

To everyone:
I hope that this situation sets a good example of how we as parents need to guide our children in the right direction and follow by the rules regardless of if you believe them to be right or wrong, regardless of how trivial. Young adults are so influenced by their peers, as parents we only have their attention for a limited time, use it wisely!

I more so hope the school will do the right thing not just now but in the future and NOT close their eyes until someone opens their mouth, or decides on some significant point in time that they are going to start enforcing the rules they have been blind to the majority of the time, or enforce the rules fairly, what's applies to one is good for all.

Hey Buddy (Bubba): You have no idea what you are talking about. Before you start throwing stones at other peoples houses look at your own. You don't even know why she was allowed to have the piercings but there was a good reason, I can assure you, but you know I don't have to explain myself to someone that is as ignorant as you. I am in agreement with the statement that if Corey Brewer had had piercings, I believe that he would still have been allowed to walk the line. Corey is a friend of my daughter's and believe me the school would have let him walk. Also, don't you dare write me another scathing remark as you have done. You are a fool and I bet you look just like a monkey when you look in the mirror. I can look in the mirror without fear and I DO feel proud of something that I let my daughter do, but then again you DON'T know the whole story, and I'm not going to tell you. Oh my the way, if you watched any news program like Channel 4, you would have seen that she only has ONE lip piercing and when she was caught with that, she never wore the ring to school again. She had to learn the lesson on her own. GET OVER YOURSELF.

Lady.. First it was “Yes I allowed the piercing, but no lip ring at school”.. Then the Vice principle takes “one” of her lip rings from her!!?? How many lip rings does she have and if she’s not to wear them at school why would the vice principle be taking them from her? Let me guess she wasn’t following the rules was she.. Wonder who she learned that from.. Wake up lady it’s not the schools fault your daughter’s not walking the line, the fault is looking back at you in the mirror…

The mother allowing the piercings does not excuse the school from disciplining the student if she was in violation of the dress codes. How does the school get a blank check on this? The school has the authority to enforce it's dress code no matter what the mother does. Why didn't they do that?
Why did they wait till graduation week to do something? This is the question.
I believe the principal, school board, etc. has the say about what goes on at school. Did they contact this mother and tell her that her child was in violation and what the consequences would be? If so, when did they do that?

Schools could set a great example for it's students and future leaders of America, if they, themselves, would accept responsibility, instead of showing the students how to avoid it by their example of "see nothing, say nothing, know nothing" when it comes to issues like this and the bug bite story. Why can't they simply say...
"We made a mistake" and take steps to right it.
What an awesome example that would be. I think it's highly unlikely that would ever happen...especially if a financial obligation is in question, as in the bug bite.
The piercing, I think, is a matter of them not wanting to be embarrassed by not following their own rules.

Ms. Elliott, GET A GRIP!! No one here has stated they are perfect. In my life I have broken many rules and paid dearly for some and learned a lesson in the process.

I know if there is a dress code at school my children will follow that code, like it or not.

You said, "yes, I allowed the piercings but at the same time so did many other parents"
Question....Does this make it right just because many other parents allowed it?? Is this keeping up with the "Jones" so to speak? If other parents let their kids skip school once a week would that make it ok for your daughter to do the same?

What the school is doing is a little harsh but you brought it on yourself.

I don't care if the student looks like Swiss cheese. If she earned it, she earned it. What about tatoos? What about hair coloring? What about not having a clean hairdo? What about colored contacts? If the student is not wearing something vulgar or obscene, then let it alone. Get them out the door and on their way. Be proud you had an influence and hope to God that they make it big and drop some cash on a new gym one day. If Corey Brewer had a piercing the day of HS graduation, I don't think anyone would be feeling good right now with him headed to the NBA but not allowed to walk at graduation. Get real.

To: makemelaugh and Red-Neck Bubba:

You know I really take offense at someone calling me a breaker of rules....yes, I allowed the piercings but at the same time so did many other parents, so I guess we are all rule breakers. I am sure you two are not perfect and have made many mistakes in the past. By the way the word is veil and not vail; look it up. We didn't piss anyone off at the school. This was totally some student that had it out for my daughter. Oh and "makemelaugh" you did just that; like you never broke any rules; we are not perfect and we did not get the piercings with the thought that we "would get away with it". People did know about the piercings at school, friends, teachers, etc. What are you all blind to my postings, even the Vice Principal knew because he took the lip piercing out and still has it in his office. We could care less now about walking the line at PHS; it is a moot point at this time because the school covered this situation up just like they did the bug bite incident. To you two "perfect people who haven't ever made mistakes" I applaude you because up until now, only Jesus was the perfect entity, not man. Gee, just think we have two in Portland.

Bubba -- you may have a point there, but I suspect it's a matter of the school wanting to look good at graduation and look like they run a tight ship and have everyone looking good....kinda like when people know they are going to have the boss for supper, you really give the house a good housekeeping job !

There’s been a couple of folk’s below that stated I might be a “Red-Neck”, maybe so, but I ain’t blind. This young lady has apparently had those rhinestones (or whatever) on her face for at least a year. I would guess unless she had a Vail on it was an obvious violation of school policy. What? Nobody noticed !! Not one person (teacher, student whatever) said anything about this young lady! I wouldn’t think so… JUST who did she or her parents piss off in the last couple of weeks? Just food for thought….

Daniel,it's up to the school to enforce their rules isn't it? If not, then they don't need to have any rules. How can a school have any order if they don't enforce their rules???
I don't follow your rationale on this one, at all.
There are rules everywhere...schools, the workplace -- everyone isn't allowed to do whatever whatever they can get by with.
It's the same thing with the bug bite....seems they just want to wash their hands of having to accept any reponsibility.

Deanna,
I agree that the school, if they knew, should have said something earlier but Ms. Elliot has already stated she knew it was wrong. Why should the school get all the blame in this? It's almost like we're saying because everyone else did it it's okay or because it was overlooked now it's okay. Imagine if we used these same principles to judge everything else. The hypothesis here is that we know something's wrong, but because the school was wrong for not noticing it earlier than it's suddenly ok.
We're constantly talking on this blog about public officials and how they should live up to the rules and be honest but now we're saying we should wait for someone to disclipline our children before we consider something wrong? I'm sorry you guys, I agree with you all on most things but I just don't see this one at all. But, I do think the school should let her wear a bandaid over the jewelry because honestly, jewelry is not that big of a deal.

My question is....If the parents and the student knew from the first of the year that the piercings were against the dress code why did they go ahead and get them anyways????
Usually when someone does something they know is wrong they will get caught eventually.

Rules are rules....you follow them or suffer the consequences.

Judy wrote - IF they are going to enforce the Dress Codes they need to start at the first day of school and be consistant, NOT just on Graduation day!

I couldn't have said it any better.

A school has rules and it's up to them to enforce them. They had this student in class all year long and if she broke a rule, she should have been advised and disciplined, not wait till graduation and tell her that she can't walk in the line at graduation.
If the policeman sees you speeding day after day and never issues you a ticket, and then he waits till you come in to renew your license, and he says...oooh, I can't renew it...you've been seen speeding for the past umpteen days....what sense does that make? He gave away his authority when it should have been exercised...same as the teachers who ignored this students breaking of the rules...and then at the last minute, they want to enforce the rules, because they know there will be public exposure and pictures taken and they want to be seen as having enforced them all along. SIGH.

I hope you all just watched Channel 4 news with Cynthia Williams reporting...The School Board's PR spokesperson lied when he said that the school found out about the piercings only a week ago. That is just not true. Her senior picture has the piercings on it, her prom picture has the piercings on it and all her friends and teachers as well as Vice Pricipal Dyer knew she had the piercings since he took one of her lip rings and did not report it nor did he send her home for dress code violation. Sounds like a cover up to me because no one over at PHS wants to take responsibility and say that they knew she had them all school year. CHICKEN!!!!!

Hey Bubba - no wonder people up North think that everyone from Tennessee is a "red-neck". You just proved it with your eloquently put perspective on removing the piercings. I, personally, and I am sure that Mrs. Elliott, would much rather and do go to a Dentist for a removal of a tooth. I bet you just put a string on yours and tie it to a door knob. If there is anyone that needs to be call "DUMB", I do believe that the concensus would be yourself. I bet you even like to inflict pain upon helpless animals. Don't talk about something that you have no idea what you are talking about. I do agree with you about the schools though, they are being totally heartless about this situation.

That would be great, 325-3250, tomorrow at 3.

Daniel, this latest blog is the only one that I can say that I respect you for writing. My daughter would have had her piercings covered by bandaids on graduation night and it is my understanding that is a law that the school administrators cannot make a student take off a bandaid. I didn't try to hide the fact that she had this tiny rhinestone piercings for that is what they are not some garish large piercings with spikes (now that would be distracting), I am only trying to get my point across of since they knew about them well in advance why wait until now to do something about them. I can assure you if she had been in violation regarding clothing, they would have called immediately, but alas, no one ever called about her tiny piercings. You are right when you say they are not babysitters; I don't want them to be my babysitters and besides a Senior would not want a babysitter believe me. But they are with them for 7 hours each day and you can't tell me that for over six months they didn't once have the opportunity to enforce the dress code. I'm not playing for sympathy; I'm asking for justice. You just may hear from me on your radio show because when I believe I am right, I will definitely stick by my decision.

No offense mam but this is a blog, not a newspaper, I only use my whole name cos I lack respect for people who present their opinions in code names. I try to always write stories in a balanced way but this is about opinion.
I agree with you, the code should have been enforced sooner but my point is the rules are the rules and honestly, if the principal had came up to your daughter on the night of graduation while she was in line and told her she couldn't walk it is justified because it's in the code of conduct. There's nothing saying they have to be told in a certain period, it's just said it's not allowed. I'm sorry this has happened to you, I really am, but once again if you as the parent knew before hand that it was wrong then there's no excuse and for me, no sympathy. Once again, it's not the teacher's job to raise your kid and teach them how to follow the rules. They are supposed to be educators, not babysitters. Yes, my mom used to be a vice principal and yes I've seen her jerk kids out of line on graduation night because they knowingly went against the code of conduct. I still stand by my example of the speeding ticket. I have a radio show on Friday afternoons from 3-4 on 1270am and you're welcome to call in and voice your opinion on this issue. Just please don't yell at me:)

I'm not saying that her piercings were profane or vulgar,what I am saying is that another student could use her case as precedent to wear something that was profane or vulgar.

Hey, this comment is for red-neck Bubba....how dare you say that the parents have more money than brains...you have no idea what you are talking about. Do you like to pull your teeth out by just grabbing a hold of them and yanking? I don't think so because if you do, then I think your brain is not working correct. Sounds like to me you like to cause yourself a lot of pain. Get over it Bubba.

This is just for you DANIEL.....Yes, I allowed her to get the piercings just as a lot of parents have done this year....so sue me. But you as the, I believe, Editor of the Portland Progressive, should have taken into consideration getting my side before you posted your blog. See you don't even know that these piercings are surgically implanted and cannot be removed just willy-nilly....they have to be cut out and given such a short notice (Monday) I was not able to get her to the one person that does this type of procedure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you're thinking why couldn't she just have some other doctor remove them, because I wanted the one who put them in there to remove them. That's my right. I think you need to read more of the "blogs" and see that they agree that even though she shouldn't have had the piercings, it is the responsibility of the school's administration to enforce the code and they DID NOT DO THAT until this past Monday. Convenient don't you think. Now, I am not going to get into a debate with you about this issue unless you want to come and interview me. You should be open minded about a situation until you hear everything there is to the story. You have no idea.

Daniel - I think if I got the story right, these piercings are quoted as being "Surgically Implanted" with that I am assuming they are not the typical earing type piercing that can be removed freely, and is why they cannot be removed in time for graduation, don't know too much about them, quite honestly didn't know there was such a thing, perhaps the mom could elaborate.

This whole thing is silly, from the school system right down to her parents. Surgically implanted!? Someone has more money than brains! There’s a simple solution. You got, what four days? Grab a’hold of them bad boy’s and rip them out, should be just like pulling teeth. The bleeding should stop by graduation and she won’t have to wear no Band-Aid !! Yea I know that sounds cruel, but so is life. If Y’a going to be dumb, Y’a gotta be tough.. Quit playing the sympathy card…

Dang, I go to lunch and the sky starts falling.
Alright, i'll play the devil's advocate as usual.

First, the constitution doesn't protect any student in the school system because the school system governs itself. Just like a school newspaper can be edited by a principal regardless of whether or not what they are printing is protected by free speech. This has been upheld by the Supreme Court. Walking in a graduation line is not a protected right, it's a privilage subject to school policies.
Second, students and parents are provided this code every year. It's not the principal's responsibility to make sure you read every line of it, but simply to provide it.
3rd-The example I used is very much so on target because the school system's NOT revoking this students diploma, just like you wouldn't have your license revoked on the first ticket. Comparing not getting to walk in a graduation line to the birth of a child is very much off base because the student still has the choice on whether or not to take out the jewelry. It's a choice the student has to make.
4th-To the mother, you were quoted in the story as saying you knew of the rules before hand, so if you knew, I don't understand what the debate could be about. Why would you as a parent put your child in this situation if YOU knew what was right?
Finally I'm all for free expression, but rules are rules, and even if they seem unfair, if we know what they are and we break them, we have to pay the consequences. The teachers should have noticed this problem before and I agree that it's bogus to wait so long before addressing it, but I guess you have to ask yourself what means more, a piece of jewelry or walking in line to get your diploma?

Gee whiz... the girl is not going to walk nude. Piercings are all around us in every part of society. I saw the picture. It does not seem as extreme as I have ever seen. Am I missing something? Are we saying that this is profane or vulgar?

If the rules shouldn't apply,why should we have any rules at all.What signal does that send to the students who followed the rules.I personally do not care if Miss Elliot has visable piercings or not,but if she is allowed to express herself in HER own manner,what is to keep another student from expressing themselves in a manner that might be offensive to you.

I'm afraid I am still in agreement with giving the student the right that she has worked so hard for to get her diploma with everyone else! There is a right time and place to tackle issues of dress code, the piercings are hurting nobody, Daniel your example of speeding by no way compares to this situation, a speeder could be a deadly weapon. Besides that, would you feel the same way if on that day you did get caught you were on the way to the hospital to witness the birth of your child and because they stopped and ticketed you this resulted in missing this once in a lifetime event?

Right or wrong, having been allowed or not, GRADUATION Time is not the time to start enforcing the dress code, and like the story noted, the dress code states... cannot be worn at school durring regular school hours and graduation is not during normal school hours, and YES I know this is a general technical issue as it should be considered school since it is a school function.

IF they are going to enforce the Dress Codes they need to start at the first day of school and be consistant, NOT just on Graduation day!

With all due respect, this blog is for everyone and Daniel has just as much right to post his opinions as anyone else- that's HIS constitutional right. And it's YOUR constitutional right to have YOUR say. However, we have to realize that, as parent's, when we speak of issues concerning our children are often seen as biased also, even if we have a valid point. BEEN THERE DONE THAT!

Daniel: Loved your analogy - simple but very thought provoking - but I still have to DISAGREE.

Even if you do get caught on the 4th attempt, they generally don't don't revoke your license the first time they cite you. And that's kinda how I see this situation.

And like Ms. Elliot questioned, WHY CAN'T SHE WEAR A BAND AID TO COVER IT? There is NOTHING in Sumner County School Board Policy restricting the wearing of bandaids.

I agree, let her walk. I have been over at PHS and I have seen much worse dress code violations and a few other things going on in the hallways that were totally extreme (if you catch my drift)and the students were in school and teachers saw them. I saw them so they had to see them. Why wait until now to say she can't walk the line? Other students have piercings; it seems like the school is singling her out and punishing her. If they are going to do that to one student, then half of PHS would be in violation of the dress code and should be out of there too!

Let the girl walk..... Why the heck are they just now pointing this out? Come on!Ok yes she knew but come on who is there to enforce the rules.I can tell you if my daughters skirt is not just right they call in a heart beat.Who but those on the first couple of rows are going to be able to see her?If she acomplished school give her her moment.Look at the drop out rate and this is all we can look at?We are all different and should be celebrated not looked down on.....

I am the mother of this student and I want to set the record straight....and Daniel Suddeath you are definitely biased because I understand that you have a family member who is in a school system, so of course you would side with the School Board but you need to know that my daughter has had these piercings since September and January (she did not wear her lip ring to school) and for the school administrators to say they never saw them is ridiculous because one piercing is clearly visible in her Senior Picture and all of her teachers knew she had these piercings and they never enforced the dress code on her until I talked with them on Monday and was told that she was to leave the school immediately and could not walk the line at graduation. This has turned into a circus issue and totally inappropriate for you to take sides especially since you have a conflict of interest and should not even post a blog about this. My daughter all school year never had to leave school because of a dress code violation, even with her piercings, hmmmm, now who dropped the ball on that. I would say the school. If I had known that this was going to cause her to not walk the line at graduation which is a hugh accomplishment for a student, then these piercings would not be there. Why can't she wear a bandaid to cover them up? No one would see them, but now it is in the news and I am still not going to let this rest. She has a constitutional right to be at her graduation and to walk the line. To wait 4 days before graduation and then tell her that she can't walk, is totally unfair and invades her rights. Don't punish the child because of something that I allowed her to have and since the school knew all this time, and they did, then they should have contacted me earlier. I am PROUD of my daughter and even if she is not allowed to walk, she is still a hero in my eyes because she had the guts and nerve to stand up to an administration that shuts its eyes to other situations on campus but waits until the last minute to pull her out. Think about it...Oh and by the way, if you think that she is the only one with piercings, think again. I will say that she is holding her head up high and the school is lower than a snake and that goes for the school board too.

I am the mother of this student and I want to set the record straight....and Daniel Suddeath you are definitely biased because I understand that you have a family member who is in a school system, so of course you would side with the School Board but you need to know that my daughter has had these piercings since September and January (she did not wear her lip ring to school) and for the school administrators to say they never saw them is ridiculous because one piercing is clearly visible in her Senior Picture and all of her teachers knew she had these piercings and they never enforced the dress code on her until I talked with them on Monday and was told that she was to leave the school immediately and could not walk the line at graduation. This has turned into a circus issue and totally inappropriate for you to take sides especially since you have a conflict of interest and should not even post a blog about this. My daughter all school year never had to leave school because of a dress code violation, even with her piercings, hmmmm, now who dropped the ball on that. I would say the school. If I had known that this was going to cause her to not walk the line at graduation which is a hugh accomplishment for a student, then these piercings would not be there. Why can't she wear a bandaid to cover them up? No one would see them, but now it is in the news and I am still not going to let this rest. She has a constitutional right to be at her graduation and to walk the line. To wait 4 days before graduation and then tell her that she can't walk, is totally unfair and invades her rights. Don't punish the child because of something that I allowed her to have and since the school knew all this time, and they did, then they should have contacted me earlier. I am PROUD of my daughter and even if she is not allowed to walk, she is still a hero in my eyes because she had the guts and nerve to stand up to an administration that shuts its eyes to other situations on campus but waits until the last minute to pull her out. Think about it...Oh and by the way, if you think that she is the only one with piercings, think again. I will say that she is holding her head up high and the school is lower than a snake and that goes for the school board too.

I am the mother of this student and I want to set the record straight....and Daniel Suddeath you are definitely biased because I understand that you have a family member who is in a school system, so of course you would side with the School Board but you need to know that my daughter has had these piercings since September and January (she did not wear her lip ring to school) and for the school administrators to say they never saw them is ridiculous because one piercing is clearly visible in her Senior Picture and all of her teachers knew she had these piercings and they never enforced the dress code on her until I talked with them on Monday and was told that she was to leave the school immediately and could not walk the line at graduation. This has turned into a circus issue and totally inappropriate for you to take sides especially since you have a conflict of interest and should not even post a blog about this. My daughter all school year never had to leave school because of a dress code violation, even with her piercings, hmmmm, now who dropped the ball on that. I would say the school. If I had known that this was going to cause her to not walk the line at graduation which is a hugh accomplishment for a student, then these piercings would not be there. Why can't she wear a bandaid to cover them up? No one would see them, but now it is in the news and I am still not going to let this rest. She has a constitutional right to be at her graduation and to walk the line. To wait 4 days before graduation and then tell her that she can't walk, is totally unfair and invades her rights. Don't punish the child because of something that I allowed her to have and since the school knew all this time, and they did, then they should have contacted me earlier. I am PROUD of my daughter and even if she is not allowed to walk, she is still a hero in my eyes because she had the guts and nerve to stand up to an administration that shuts its eyes to other situations on campus but waits until the last minute to pull her out. Think about it...Oh and by the way, if you think that she is the only one with piercings, think again. I will say that she is holding her head up high and the school is lower than a snake and that goes for the school board too.

Yeah, it's kind of a no-win situation. Is it just me or does something like this come up every year around graduation time?

Good point Daniel. Sorry, I did not see that tidbid in the story. Great analogy too! If the parent knew of the policy and blatantly disregarded the policy and allowed the child to get the piercings (which is a whole different discussion in the first place!)then I don't see how they have any grounds for an argument. Guess the kid can't walk the line. Will be interesting to see what happens. On one hand, if the school gives in, then that will be interpreted as being pushovers and give the impression to rebellers to push the envelope in the future. If they do not, then there will be those who jump on the 'all the school admin is bad anyway' bandwagon that seems so popular lately. Will wait and see!!

I would agree with you but the parent states in the story that she already knew about the policy. I see it like this, if I pass a cop going 75 in a 65 three times, and I don't get a ticket, but on the fourth time I'm going 75 again in a 65 and he pulls me over, then I'm still guilty and I still have to pay the price. Plus we all know that graduation is different from the regular school day as a stricter dress code is enforced.

I agree if the student has been allowed all throughout the school year to wear these piercings, then there shouldn't be a ban now. If they feel so adamant about it, they should allow this student (since they didn't enforce it throughout the year) to walk in the graduation, then set new (or at least ENFORCE it!) in the upcoming school year.

Michelle,
Concerning your computer spaz, this would be the perfect opportunity when a blog author should delete their postings, lol!

Sorry, I have to side with PHS on this one. This stuff is in the code of conduct at the first of the year, it's not the principal's responsibility to make sure the girl read everything. Graduation is not like any other day at school and school is not a democracy. If you don't like the code of conduct, you can always homeschool your child.

I just checked their website

http://www.fox17.com/news/news.htm

A link to the story re Body Piercings and Graduation is right there on the left of the main page.

This report was on FOX17 news 9pm last evening, not sure if their website has the story or not but I agree that Graduation should not be a time to start addressing issues of Dress Code if it has been overlooked up until now, Graduation is as already noted a once in a lifetime event.

She went to school for 12 years. If she maintained the grade point averages necessary to get her diploma, then she should get it. Graduation is a celebration of 12 years in a life, not one night in a piercing.

BEFORE MY COMPUTER WENT SPASTIC,

Judy said:

"On the news this evening I seen a report about body piercings and graduation where a senior at PHS is not being allowed to walk the line at graduation because of her 3 facial piercings. According to the student and mother they are surgically implanted and cannot be removed in time for graduation, even though the dress code does not allow body piercings to be worn during school, the student has had them for quite awhile and no one has addressed the issue until now. What do you think?"

And DeeAnna said:

"I didn't see the story on the news, but...I would think that if this student has been allowed to attend school with these facial piercings and nothing was said about it...I think it's too late to make an issue of it at graduation. My personal opinion is that if they have dress codes, they should have been enforced...and this student not been allowed in class with them. Wonder why they decided to address the issue now ???"

And you can scroll down the page to see what I said, over and over and over again. So sorry everyone.

Uh, I did NOT do that on purpose. What's up with THAT?!?

I can certainly think of much worse things that teenagers could do than have body piercings. Let her walk the line. Why ruin a once in a lifetime event over something that, in the greater scheme of things, is SO TRIVIAL.

I can certainly think of much worse things that teenagers could do than have body piercings. Let her walk the line. Why ruin a once in a lifetime event over something that, in the greater scheme of things, is SO TRIVIAL.

I can certainly think of much worse things that teenagers could do than have body piercings. Let her walk the line. Why ruin a once in a lifetime event over something that, in the greater scheme of things, is SO TRIVIAL.

I can certainly think of a lot worse things than body piercings. I understand and support a dress code, but why ruin a once in a lifetime event over something that, in the greater scheme of things, is so trivial.

I can certainly think of a lot worse things than body piercings. I understand and support a dress code, but why ruin a once in a lifetime event over something that, in the greater scheme of things, is so trivial.

I didn't see the story on the news, but...I would think that if this student has been allowed to attend school with these facial piercings and nothing was said about it...I think it's too late to make an issue of it at graduation. My personal opinion is that if they have dress codes, they should have been enforced...and this student not been allowed in class with them. Wonder why they decided to address the issue now ???

On the news this evening I seen a report about body piercings and graduation where a senior at PHS is not being allowed to walk the line at graduation because of her 3 facial piercings. According to the student and mother they are surgically implanted and cannot be removed in time for graduation, even though the dress code does not allow body piercings to be worn during school, the student has had them for quite awhile and no one has addressed the issue until now. What do you think?