[Marxism] FW: [SUS] [Fwd: [counter-recruitment] Foss High activists win BIG! -report and thanks from Clara, sophomore at Foss]

["David McDonald" <dbmcdonald@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

 Thanks to Doug Nielson for compiling this information.


Included below:
1. Foss victory report, May 6
2. Foss solidarity appeal (sent out before, included here for background),
May 4

------------------------------
FOSS HIGH STUDENTS WIN VICTORY FOR FREE SPEECH AND COUNTER-RECRUITMENT
MOVEMENT



Thanks to everyone who called in to support us


May 6, 2005



By Clara Lightner (sophomore at Foss High School, Tacoma, WA)



          I'm happy to announce that Principal Sharon Schauss has finally
agreed to our proposals for Students Against the Draft and War. This victory
for free speech was the result of the tremendous student support we recieved
in Foss and also the phone calls to my administrators from thousands of
supporters from around the country and world. Today I had a meeting with
Principal Schauss and informed her of SADW's three key demands:


1. The right to find out two weeks before the military recruiters are
scheduled to come to our school. We also want the right to put up a table
next to the recruiters with alternative points of view and information.

2. The right to have weekly meetings in the school in order to build our
student club.

3. Permission for having the meeting next Tuesday, May10, that we had
planned for May 5, including the guest speaker, Ty Moore, of Minneapolis,
Minnesota.

Principal Schauss has agreed to the first two demands. She will also agree
to the third one after she has seen the video we are going to show: Military
Myths, which I plan to bring to her on Monday. She will also talk to the
school board and go through the necessary procedures to have guest speaker
Ty Moore come in.



          I'd also like to describe how May 5th went. That morning, before
school, I went into Principal Schauss's office with a member of Socialist
Alternative, Jessica Pruitt, who has been helping out with the campaign. We
asked Principal Schauss whether or not she was allowing the meeting to
happen that afternoon. Mrs. Schauss, of course, told us we could not hold
the meeting because we had not filled out all the proper paperwork and did
not have $1 million in insurance. Although we had a chartered student club
willing to sponsor us, she still would not let us hold a meeting. This is a
hypocritical double standard because other student clubs don't need to fill
out paper work or get Principal Schauss's approval to bring guests into our
school. After not letting us explain ourselves for most of the meeting,
Principal Schauss threw us out of her office. Jessica was attempting to
explain that she was not clear on the procedure when Principal Schauss
yelled at us to exit the office. We immediately took that as another
infringement on our rights as students.

          That afternoon, we called a press conference. I spread the news
through the entire school and passed out fliers urging students to meet in
front of the school for a protest/press conference. A couple newspapers
showed up, Tacoma News Tribune and the Tacoma Weekly. I was interviewed and
gave a speech to the students who were there. The speech went well, except
for one point where the JROTC who had been watching attempted to disrupt by
laughing loudly. I, of course, thanked them for being so mature and went on
speaking. Also, Principal Schauss attempted to break up the press conference
in the middle by making an announcement over the intercom for everyone to
leave. She was ignored and the meeting went on very well. We had 40 students
sign up for our e-mail list and met students who were very interested in
becoming very involved. We now have nearly 100 students signed up on the
list.

          This morning, I found a large article about the event in the
Tacoma News Tribune. It made the front cover of the local news section with
a large picture of myself giving my speech. (It can be found at
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/education/story/4839747p-4444990c.html)



I've also had a few confrontations with JROTC students who were quite angry
with me, but I was able to explain myself. I found that most of the JROTC
students are very open-minded and considerate. We are not against the JROTC
students. We understand that most young people join the military because
they don't see any decent jobs or educational opportunities out there. We
are against people being signed up to die for a war about oil and empire.
We are fighting for more money for jobs and education so young people can
chose an alternative to the military. Hopefully, we will make peace with
them and will be able to have meetings in the future with no problem. We are
also offering the JROTC students the opportunity to come to any of our
meetings to watch or speak if they request it.



          So, I'd like to thank everyone who called in and e-mailed
Principal Sharon Schauss and Superintendent James Shoemake. Even the
steelworkers national union office called me to guarantee 100 calls to my
principal from their members, and more support if we needed it. The entire
school was aware that they had been receiving hundreds of phone calls each
day from all over the world. I'd like to thank member of the local coalition
for their help.  I'd like to give a special thanks to Socialist Alternative,
the organization I joined recently for giving me help, support, advice, and
all the resources I needed. It all went so well that there is no more need
to call or e-mail. We will also update everyone on how next Tuesday goes.



Thank you all again for calling and supporting us. This has been a major
success for our school and for Students Against the Draft and War.



Clara Lightner, sophomore at Foss High School, Tacoma, WA

Students Against the Draft and War
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