Via Turley, the students of the Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District have had enough, and they’re doing something about it.  From the LA Times :

The students organized the recall campaign as a civics project after the board of the Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District voted to get rid of their popular math teacher, a former professional football player.

The latest controversy began in September after Supt. Mari Brabbin and the school board removed Ryan Dutton from his job teaching math at Tioga High over an allegation of plagiarism. He also lost his post coaching baseball.

Dutton, 31, who was studying for his teaching credential at Cal State Fresno, was accused of copying another student’s homework in March. He denied the charge.

It is unclear how the allegation reached the school district. The university said the allegation was unfounded, but the school board has refused to take Dutton back.

There is no group more official than a school board, incapable of error and ruling the school system with the iron fist necessary to maintain absolute control.  And, of course, it’s all “for the children.”  Those dopey little twerps who don’t appreciate how wonderful the school board members are for looking out for them, although they don’t deserve it. 

But this time, the twerps learned a little too much in civics class, something the school board members might appreciate the next time they decide that they know better than everybody else.

The students have appealed to the school board to rehire Dutton, but the members have declined, saying they trust the information about him that they received in private.

Most of the students are not old enough to vote or collect signatures, but parents and teachers joined in support of the effort. The campaign needed 910 signatures for each school board member and collected about 1,200, easily qualifying for the ballot.

Far too often, we find stories of students whose lives are turned upside down by the well-intended actions of the very “official”  school administrator or members of a school board.  The tales are legion.  But rarely are the students able to take it to the streets. 

It would seem that the University’s determination that the accusation against Dutton lacks merit should guide the school board’s decision, notwithstanding the “private information” it claims to possess to justify sticking to its guns.  But then, why should the members of a school board be subject to the University’s determination, when they are the rulers of their little fiefdom?

Way to go students.  Way to go parents.  When you’ve had enough of the petty tyrants, get rid of them.