CDR: pictures free speech compulsory youth education camps

[anonymous at openpgp.net]

Nov 28, 2000 - 12:12 PM 

            Court to Review Whether Boys
            Drawings Constitute a Threat 
            The Associated Press

            BOSTON (AP) - The states highest court is reviewing two
            drawings penned by a 12-year-old Worcester, Mass.,
            student, to determine if they were a threat against his
            teacher. 

            The drawings, made two years ago, depict a boy holding a
            gun pointed at a teacher as she says "please dont kill me"
            and sobs. 

            A lower court sentenced the boy last year to more than five
            years probation. The Supreme Judicial Court heard
            arguments in the case Nov. 7 and is expected to rule soon. 

            Kathleen Kelly, the boys lawyer, told the SJC that a picture
            cannot be considered a threat, The Boston Globe reported
            Tuesday. 

            "If a picture communicates a thousand words, why does one
            need a thousand words?" Chief Justice Margaret Marshall
            asked. 

            "Because if its a picture alone, theres no intent within that
            picture to communicate the threat," Kelly answered. 

            Worcester County prosecutor Sandra Hautanen argued that
            schools must be mindful of recent school shootings. Students
            in several Massachusetts town have been arrested,
            disciplined or expelled this year for alleged threats. 

            Some student rights advocates say school leaders have
            overreacted in the wake of high-profile school shootings. 

            "The punishment really does need to fit the crime, and I feel
            like weve been using a sledgehammer when a little tapper
            might be more effective," said Isabel Raskin of the Juvenile
            Justice Center at Suffolk University Law School.