Kansas Teen refuses to apologize for Tweet against Govenor

[Melena]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/28/us/kan...tml?hpt=hp_bn2

Got to love how first amendment rights can be taken away from Teens. Reading this actually made me sick.

(CNN) -- A high school senior, who faces a Monday morning deadline to apologize to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback for a disparaging tweet, has said she will not write the apology letter.

"I don't think I should write the letter, and I don't think it would be the best move for me," Emma Sullivan, 18, said late Sunday night. "At this time, I do not think an apology would be a sincere thing for me to do."
Sullivan said her parents and many of her peers support her decision.
The teen made national headlines last week for a tweet she said was intended just for her friends.

During a Kansas Youth in Government field trip to the state Capitol on November 21, Sullivan wrote: "Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot."
The Shawnee Mission East senior said she did not actually talk to Brownback, and the post referenced a joke she had with a student on the trip.
The next day, she was called into high school principal Karl Krawitz's office.
"I had no idea what it was about or why I was being called into the office," she said. "I had never been in trouble before."
A Brownback staffer had notified the principal, she said.
"My principal told me he needed to do damage control and was really upset," Sullivan said. "He said I was an embarrassment to the school and the school district and that I had been disrespectful."

The principal then asked her to write a letter of apology to Brownback and his staff. He set Monday as the due date for the letter.
Sullivan said she did not know what will happen when she does not turn in the letter Monday. But she hopes the tweet will bring attention to the issue of free speech.
"I hope there won't be any consequences and that my principal and the governor's office can move on," she said. "The issue is relevant and, if anything, is a starting point of dialog with the governor about his policies and how our First Amendment rights can be taken away."

Sullivan said she has not heard from the governor's office directly. But, following the media attention, her Twitter follower count has rocketed from 65 to more than 4,000 in the last week.
"I hope that the governor realizes the power of the people and how people can make things happen," she said. "I also hope he will spend his time doing more productive things."
CNN contacted both Brownback's office and Krawitz's office but received no response.

[Olo401]

I apologize to the people of Kansas for Sam Brownback being such a hater of free speech.

[aurik]

"My principal told me he needed to do damage control and was really upset," Sullivan said. "He said I was an embarrassment to the school and the school district and that I had been disrespectful."

More like the principal is an embarrassment to the school and the school district.

[Melena]

I really want to see the fallout from this. The only thing that annoys me more though is a week after this occurred is the first I've read about this in the news. I really hate our media sometimes.

[Dimmauk]

Lolkansas

What kinda name is brownback? Sounds like a shitty name to me.

[The Blackrose]

Kansas continues to be an ass-backwards state.

Brownback's media director and handlers should be out a job.

The principal should be strung up by his (lack of) balls. Was that tweet made during school hours? No? Deal with it. School administrators need to stop trying to punish behavior that is outside of their grasp. Authoritarian spats like these from school districts always show a desperate stretch for power that backfires magnificently.

[Cayos]

The funny thing is, if he hadn't told her to apologize for the comment, nobody but her friends would have heard about it.

Not exactly the same situation, but see the Streisand Effect:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

[Eurell]

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/new...t-kan-governor

SHAWNEE, Kan. - The Shawnee Mission School District released a statement Monday morning regarding Emma Sullivan's tweet about Gov. Sam Brownback.

Sullivan, 18, attended a class field trip to hear the governor speak in Topeka, on Monday, Nov. 23. She told NBC Action News when we broke the story that she didn't like what she heard.

“I don't agree with a majority of the things that he is trying to pass,” Sullivan said.
She tweeted, "just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot."

Her principal demanded that she write a letter of apology to the governor, which she refused to do .

The statement said the following:

"District officials have reviewed recent events surrounding the reported tweet by Shawnee Mission East High School student Emma Sullivan. The district acknowledges a student's right to freedom of speech and expression is constitutionally protected.

"The district has not censored Mis Sullivan nor infringed upon her freedom of speech. She is not required to write a letter of apology to the Governor. Whether and to whom any apologies are issued will be left to the individuals involved.

"The issue has resulted in many teachable moments concerning the use of social media. The district does not intend to take any further action on this matter."

Sullivan told NBC Action News that she was not going to apologize even if the district required her to do so.

"I believe that I have a right to state my opinion," said Sullivan.

Sullivan started receiving advice about how to handle the situation after her story went viral. She started with 65 Twitter followers, but Sullivan is now broadcasting to about 8,500 Twitter followers.

Governor Sam Brownback's office also released a statement about the tweet found below.

“My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms.

"I enjoyed speaking to the more than 100 students who participated in the Youth in Government Program at the Kansas Capitol. They are our future.

"I also want to thank the thousands of Kansas educators who remind us daily of our liberties, as well as the values of civility and decorum.

"Again, I apologize for our over-reaction.”

[Melena]

Well that's a if i've ever seen one.

[BadKarma]

VIVA LA REVOLUTION

[Valisk]

Well that's a if i've ever seen one.

What were you expecting? It was a lose-lose situation as soon as "his office" demanded an apology. Either go forward with more pressure for an apology or apologize for the reaction to the incident and move forward.

[Silenka]

Look out for the Twitter police, guys.

It's sad that the public and its mass outrage is the last line of defense we have against many injustices now.

[kuronosan]

Shawnee Mission school district isn't exactly the best district here.

As a matter of fact, I'm not surprised that despite Brownback's best efforts to show how big of a fuck up he is and why Kansas assholes shouldn't have voted him in that the principal tried to side with him. Everyone's so concerned about him continuing to cut district budgets and fire teachers here.

Kansas is certainly getting dumber.

[Ragnus]

I'm pretty sure first amendment rights went out the window once the NYPD started confiscating press passes without consequence.

[Souj]

The thing I really don't understand is why 8500 people would want to follow her on twitter.

[Ddz]

The thing I really don't understand is why 8500 people would want to follow her on twitter.

Because Americans support free speech and that is an easy way to demonstrate it. She has over 11,000 followers now (and also she is a cute girl, so that might be a part of it too)

[Stumblingdrunk]

The thing I really don't understand is why 8500 people would want to follow her on twitter.

i assume people started following her in order to see how this played out

[Plow]

Kansas continues to be an ass-backwards state.

Brownback's media director and handlers should be out a job.

The principal should be strung up by his (lack of) balls. Was that tweet made during school hours? No? Deal with it. School administrators need to stop trying to punish behavior that is outside of their grasp. Authoritarian spats like these from school districts always show a desperate stretch for power that backfires magnificently.

Pretty sure it was made during school hours on a school field trip provided to them for the purposes of education.

I'm really amazed at people's reactions to this, I think any school I went to I'd have been lucky to get my phone back if I got caught using it during school at all, let alone to publicly trash a person I was on a field trip to visit.

[Zalius]

id hit it

[Plow]

also

Shawnee Mission school district isn't exactly the best district here.

As a matter of fact, I'm not surprised that despite Brownback's best efforts to show how big of a fuck up he is and why Kansas assholes shouldn't have voted him in that the principal tried to side with him. Everyone's so concerned about him continuing to cut district budgets and fire teachers here.

Kansas is certainly getting dumber.

wtf schools around KC do you think are better than Shawnee's lol? Olathe? St. Teresa's and shit? lol...