Carroll
student expelled for ‘satire’
By Kelly Soderlund
The Journal Gazette
January 17, 2006
A Carroll High School student defended a friend and classmate Monday
who was expelled from school this month for writing a book critical of
the school administration.
Jeff Fraser, a 17-year-old senior and founder of the Allen County
Teenage Republicans, wrote a book titled “Carroll” that was modeled
after Jon Stewart’s book “America.” The book blasted the administration
for its lack of diversity, criticized teachers and their methods and
singled out a few students in what was meant to be a satire, said
Fraser’s friend, Sam Wysong, 17.
“I understand that the administration feels very offended because the
book was written mainly about them, but things must be kept in
perspective,” Wysong told the Northwest Allen County Schools board
Monday night. “Expulsion seems like an overreaction to a first-time
offender of this nature.”
Fraser, who printed and distributed the book at school, was first
suspended for 10 days after Carroll officials discovered the book
during a lunch period, Wysong said. Fraser and his parents attended an
expulsion hearing Jan. 4, where they and Carroll administrators each
presented their case.
The job of NACS expulsion officer Niles Pfafman is to listen to both
sides and to make a recommendation to the superintendent regarding
further action, Superintendent Steve Yager said this month.
“The expulsion examiner will summarize his findings and submit those to
me, and then I have the right to either support them fully, reject them
fully or land somewhere in between,” Yager said.
Several days after the hearing, Wysong said, Fraser was notified that
he had been expelled from school. Yager declined to comment Monday on
Fraser’s case.
Wysong told the school board that Fraser was sorry for his actions but
that the punishment did not fit the crime.
“The punishment of expulsion is designed to keep schools safe,” Wysong
said. “If a student has done something to harm himself, other students
or seriously affect the education process, then they should be
expelled. Jeff has done none of these things. The punishment does not
fit the offense.”
NACS board chairman Ron Felger said he was mailed a copy of the book
anonymously but didn’t know who wrote it until Wysong’s address to the
board on Monday. Felger said he understood that the book was meant to
be satirical, but “I think there were some pretty pointed comments made
towards certain personnel that I think were way out of line.”
Felger said he couldn’t give an opinion on Fraser’s expulsion because
he did not know the grounds for the action.
“Obviously if you’ve got a situation with drugs or alcohol … at least
drugs being sold in school or weapons, where there is an obvious danger
to students, that’s one thing,” Felger said. “I really don’t know
exactly what policy or what interpretation of any type of policy that
determination of expulsion was made under.”
Yager said this month that according to the school system’s legal
counsel, “First Amendment rights are not applicable when the violations
are committed on school computers.”
Felger, who is an attorney, said that while students have fewer freedom
of speech rights when they are on school grounds, they are not totally
without protection.
“I think the First Amendment pretty much guarantees freedom of speech
unless there’s, you know, imminent intent to incite a riot or something
that can be harmful to the populace,” Felger said. “Now, students in a
school setting do not enjoy quite all of those freedom of speech
guarantees.”
Wysong said Fraser and his parents have scheduled an appeals hearing
with the school board in February. The board then would decide whether
to uphold the expulsion or dismiss it.