E-Mail: About Those Wallace High Students …

Monday Huckleberry: Later, with the justices in session hearing arguments about a Sanders Beach case, proud attorney John Magnuson took note of students in the audience from his old high school, Wallace. A wag tells Huckleberries, “Let’s hope he didn’t act like those Wallace students, making noise, fidgeting, pulling hair and groping each other.” Sounds like young lawyers in training.

Mr. Oliveria ,

As the teacher who took the Wallace government classes to the Idaho Supreme Court sessions last week, I was shocked and dismayed to read the comments about their behavior in your column. I, along with two other teachers, sat with my students through two hearings. I admit I did see a few students who fidgeted, but at no time did I witness hair pulling, making noises, or groping. In fact, two court officials complimented the students on their behavior as we left the courtroom that day.

When I read your comments to my classes today, they were angry, insulted, embarrassed, and quite taken aback by the accusations made by some “wag” who remains nameless. More than one student offered to write a letter of apology to the person who was offended by their behavior, but since we don’t know who he/she is, that is not possible. Please pass along my apologies to your source and let them know that it was not our intention to be disrespectful or cause a disturbance.

The students were pleased to be recognized by an alumni of Wallace High School, and I appreciated both the Chief Justice and Mr. Magnuson for recognizing their presence. I realize that in your column you make attempts at humor, but in this case you insulted an entire group of students for no apparent reason other than to “slam” Wallace. Using your column as a “teachable moment” in government class, I was able to do a lesson on 1st amendment rights and the how we cannot always rely on the press to be accurate.

I am not sure you will be able to give me the name/ address of the offended party, but if you are able to I would like to discuss with them the inappropriate behaviors they witnessed and pass along apologies from my students. If the party had mentioned to any of the 3 adults present that the students were acting inappropriately, it would have been addressed immediately. I am very sorry if our presence took away from the seriousness of the hearing, but I remain proud to be a teacher of this group of students.

Cedris Shepperd

DFO: Ah, one set of misbehaving kids were sitting right next to my source, a veteran courthouse observer.