Defense attorney: Dirty dancing occurs all the time at high school

I coached cheerleading at a high school several years back. Our school would play some south Dekalb schools. The cheerleaders and dance teams would do some seriously trashy dancing and cheers. My girls would look at them and want to do some of the same. My answer- as the ADULT in charge- NO!! I don’t care what the kids want to do- as the teacher- you are the adult and you need to make the right judgement call. In a school fraught with issues like Southwest Dekalb- the teachers have to hold the line harder than anyone. The kids can whine and complain and stamp their little feet all they want- the adult is in charge.

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Maureen Downey. Maureen Downey said: Defense attorney: Dirty dancing occurs all the time at high school http://bit.ly/baGFvf [...]

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What issues at SWD are you referring too? Why is it that you said schools in South Dekalb county? There are school across the state that have people that dance in a provacative manner. These students were not even in that band. I am not saying that this type of thing does not happen, but to limit it to an “end” of a county is not right. I am tired of the south end of the county being put in the media when these things happen everywhere. No one heard about the two male students that were caught having sex at a high school in the “north end” of Dekalb or about the students that were having an orgy at the McDonalds on the “north end” of the county.
I do agree with you when we must look at the big picture: the ADULTS!! There was an adult in the room and he is trying to make it seem like he told these students to stop and they did this behind his back. I refuse to believe that he sat there oblivious to what was happening, but lets not make this a north, south thing because this type of thing happens everywhere. It is just unfortunate that they ended up on the news.

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Wow, I am rather speechless at this defense tactic – way throw the children at this school under the bus.

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This country is going to hell in a handbasket; it’s been doing so for the past 20+ years. We need decency laws; we just do.

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I guess I’m old enough that when I hear “Dirty Dancing” Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey come to mind. What was described above is pornographic, disgusting and appalling. However, Mr. Grigsby is the teacher and, well, the buck stops with him. Would I fire him? Yes. Would I prosecute him? No.

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His defense is ridiculous and sad. Just because he’s caught up in this monstrosity, he wants to tear down the school that supported him; by saying that lewdness was common in the school climate. This is a joke. Nathan Grigsby is a sad sick man, and I hope he gets help. And to all the people supporting him, you haven’t seen the real video; not the one he doctored up and took himself out of, but the real video where he’s in the background laughing while the guys perform this “Chippendale” routine that looked quite well rehearsed.

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@Dunwoody Mom…Same exact thing came to my mind!!! RIP Patrick Swayze…

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Our neighbors had their girls (7 and 10) in dance classes. My wife went and saw one of their performances and thought she had accidentally walked into a strip club for youngsters (and she is no prude). For some reason today it seems like anything goes and the more sexually suggestive the better, no matter the age of the girls. You need only watch that disgusting show about the pagent kids to understand what I mean (and if you are reading this and don’t see what’s wrong with kids looking and acting like that then you are part of the problem).

Its high time for parents to start paying more attention to what their little girls are being taught, how they are dressing, how they are being instructed to dance, and the like. The defense attorney is likely right that this kind of dancing is not out of the ordinary. Before crucifying the instructor, maybe the parents should ask themselves what they have done to stop this from being common practise.

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Why prosecute a Teacher for what our society allows ona daily basis for a lot of cultures. Obviously he shoudl have had better control of his class room setting, but this state is notorious for prosecuting [mostly minorities] for matters that non-monirioty cultures seem to getaway with. This state seem to come up with laws or create laws [sexting ] very quickly but fail tor espond to economic issues. You cant buy alcohol on a Sunday, except at perhaps a Braves game or some select dining establishments; and then drive home. Give me a break. Check most prosecutorsand you are almos certian to fine some type of freak video or DVD…

This holy attitude must stop or be hard lined on all matters.

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In high school (15 years ago) I withdrew myself from the dance team/flag corps because I was uncomfortable with the “moves” we were doing. I trained in ballet, tap and ballroom dance as a child and felt that I had no place dancing in a provactive way at 15, 16, 17 years old.

As an adult I have taken an aerobics class where a vertical pole is used (a “stripper” pile) and it was a great workout, but I don’t think I’ll EVER do that again. I felt so trashy, like the only redeeming thing about me was my ability to twirl on a pole.

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This is why I work two jobs to keep my kids in private school…
So vulgar, so ghetto, so totally absurd that this episode or any of the other supposedly common episodes to be tolerated…

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Can we please get off the cultural thing!!! What about Brittany Spears, Pink flying from a big swing, Christinia AguIielra when she was dirty, Paris HIlton’s sex tape!!! Lets not even go there. The point is, this “teacher” is trying to cover his hide by saying this happens all the time there. It may happen in his class but not the whole school. Is it safe to say that all white kids in Rockdale county have an STD because of the PBS special??? No, it was informative and people learned from it and moved on. Is it safe to say that white teenage females are the ones that are leading in the percentage of teen pregnancy?? If I watched MTV only I would say yes, but I am smarter than that!! This is about the kids and we need to do something that will protect and educate them.

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Schools (middle and high) need to understand that these are CHILDREN performing. The cheerleaders are CHILDREN! The dance team are CHILDREN! The band are CHILDREN! The step team are CHILDREN! The flag corp are CHILDREN! We need to make sure as adults we are protecting them. In some cases, we have to protect them from themselves. Yes, they want to recreate what they are seeing on TV, it is our job to not allow them to demean themselves.

This is not an Elvis Presley situation where about the adults were alarmed he was moving his hips. Elvis was a grown man. These are children that are dropping to the ground simulating sex. They are turning their behinds to the crowd and shaking. They are opening and closing their legs in a sexual manner. They are simulating pulling someone towards them and pumping their hips. I am just describing what I saw at a recent high school step show!

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@LSH, the ends don’t justify the means, unless you believe in child porn yourself. @No Way, stop letting society define who and what our children should be, saying well what about what others are doing is not and should not be a defense to lewd, perverted and down right devilish acts in our school. If you think this kind of nastiness won’t lead to teenage pregnancy you are wrong. Where do you think they get ideas about sex, doing sexual things, this dance was sexual. Where do you think babies come from doing sexual things. I pray to God that neither one of you have children because they will be as lost as you are. We need to start protecting our young women and men from this kind of thing. This teacher does need to be prosecuted because it was just his way of getting off on watching these young people do this, what do you think they do to people who watch child porn on the internet, prosecute them. Being a teacher at a school gives him a platform to act out his perverted aggresion on our children. Probably tape it and go home and watch it for his own nasty pleasure. “WAKE UP” stupid people, to many children on these child porn web sites as it is. If you think men don’t get off on watching children perform pornographic acts you better wake up. Reginald Baylon was right to report this, as a parent that’s exactly what I would have done. Voice Of reason, I know you meant well but we don’t need decency laws, we have laws against stealing, rape, murder, assault etc., people still commit these crimes. Laws stop nothing, read the posts above from people like “LSH” and “No Way”. If the parents think it’s okay, how do we tell the children it’s not.

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Oh Please!!!! Another one I pray to the heavens don’t have children. The difference between you and a good parent is this. You say well Pink, Christina, Paris Hilton and Brittany does it. The good parent says just because Pink, Paris Hilton and Brittany does it you don’t have to, and that your body is God’s temple and it should not be used for perverted, lewd and lascivious acts, just so others can be entertained. We all know that as a person thinketh, so he or she is. If our girls look on themselves as nothing but nasty sluts they will allow themselves to be treated that way their whole lives, by men in the streets, by the teachers and young men in their schools, even their boyfriends and husbands. . That’s why they get pregnant and can’t get ahead in life. For all the African Americans saying this is okay, think about it being black comes with enough baggage as it is. And i’m not just playing the race card. We really have it harder than whites. Sex and babies at an early age takes us down a peg. We need to stay focused and keep our minds off of a lot of sexual mess, ain’t no future in it. There was an ad that ran on TV a couple of years ago, it said “sex can ruin your life”. Most parents who don’t care about their children in the first place look at that as propoganda. But a good and caring parent look at it as being the gospel truth. Same way they see nothing wrong with the way these girls dance at these games. The one thing I have never in my life been able to understand, a women has a baby at 16,17,18 out of wedlock. Has a hard time all her life struggling to make it for her and her children, then won’t even try and coach her daughter into doing the right thing when it comes to sex. “SAVE OUR CHILDREN”

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OKAY! so i think its pretty unfair and not cool for adults to go passing judgment on a subject which they know nothing about! I am on the dance team at swd and we do not dance provacatively, we dance to gospel I.E last years jamboree”never would have made it” and we also dance to hip hop and rap. I dont know what you know about SWD but we like to have a good time. Someone is always singing or dancing especially since our girls just won “3 PEAT” the bball championship. That dance was just a joke and it occurs alot in school. You guys go get so serious over stuff when its so simple, we are teenagers we dont think that far. Yeah, people have sex in the hallways, oral in the stairwell, weed in the back but many schools do. Yeah i have friends that attend marist and padeia and they say they do the same stuff and even worse at parties! so dont try to make it just a south dekalb thing because its a dunwoody, lakeside, chamblee, north springs and alpharetta thing to!

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[...] people move in. Think I am just being overly sensitive, checkout some of the posts at the Get Schooled blog. The very first post: I coached cheerleading at a high school several years back. Our school would [...]

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You should also check Mr. Grisgby’s personnel file with Atlanta Public Schools. He had extensive problems as an employee. DeKalb should have done a better job checking his references before hiring him.

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@Dunwoody mom: As long as the 18 year olds are on the class roll and not the pay roll, the adults in that school building should have authority over them.

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Another hit on teachers and the field of education in general. But people gotta wonder; are public schools that bad and out of control? That depends on the demographics of the school. Teachers know this, administrators know this. All of us know this but unfortunately this is the “truth that cannot be told.”

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The SWD Diva’s comments should remind all of us “holier than thou adults” that we were “those” teenagers at one time. Teenagers didn’t start having babies when this unfortunate incident occurred at SWD. How soon we forget that many of us were those unwed mothers, those weed smokers and yes those “anything else we could get away with” teenagers. I don’t feel Mr Grisby should be sentenced. He has been punished enough because he lives with this everyday and the love of his life, “directing the SWD chorus”, has been taken away from him.

As concerned parents, we do our best to teach our children not to do anything they will be sorry for forever. Unfortunately, the truth is, we go to church, we read the bible, we pray, we have family time but we can only hope our children will use better judgment when confronted with peer pressure.

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@TLC: Sorry, but I cannot get past your excreble spelling, grammar and punctuation to take your post seriously, and if you’re really going to be going to college next semester, I predict you will be one of the hundreds of public school products who are stuck in remedial English. Between you and SWD Dancing Diva . . . we rest our case. Boys writhing on the floor and grabbing girls in sexually provocative ways while a teacher stands by and laughs is NOT the norm in most schools, no matter what you think you know, and do nothing to contribute to an atmosphere of learning.

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@DB you are correct. SWD, SWD parent, Dancing Diva are the root of the problems that persist in society. It is acceptable as long as everyone else is doing it; then when do children become leaders? When do they begin to take responsibility for actions? NEVER, and what type of person do we get if they lack leadership skills? We get this teacher who is willing to sacrifice the students for his personal gain. This was a teacher who should not have been allowed a key to a room, if for 1 minute he turns away, yet he cannot hear the raucus and the whooping and hollering.

when my daughter was 7 and cheering at a local park where the cheerleaders always brought home the trophy at championships, I had to draw a line. At the end of the football games for the 7 y/o boys, the cheerleaders did a special dance for them if they won. Why do 7 y/o boys need to sit and watch a group of 7 y/o girls gyrate, shake, and shimmy for them winning a game. This indoctrination of young people leads them and their parents to believe that it is acceptable behavior, and it is NOT.
Chris rock once said that his main job in life is to keep his daughters off the pole, perhaps some of these single mothers need to have the same job.

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Enter your comments here

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The Ole Guy is about to issue the shortest comment ever:

SLIPPERY SLOPE
******** *****

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I agree with Decatur Resident — why were students charged on the day of the trial when they were going to testify that his back was turned?

“The teenagers, who graduated last year, planned to testify on behalf of their former teacher, but are now reconsidering since they face criminal charges, too. The teens claimed they didn’t know they were charged until coming to court on Monday.” AJC

In my opinion he may have had to switch to an “everybody does it” defense since those who were supposed to testify on his behalf learned if they said anything they could prove the cases against themselves.

Please people, don’t mention a previous record then fail to provide a background to the incident.

Atlanta Public record:

At the end of the school day on December 15, 1995, Appellant, who was a band and music teacher at King Middle School, was collecting music from his students. As the students filed by with their music sheets, he took the music sheets and placed them into separate stacks on the floor. One of Appellant’s students ran by and kicked over the stacks of music. Appellant had previously spoken to the Student and told him to sit down. Appellant reached out and grabbed the student. In the process, Appellant’s hand grazed or struck the student in the chest. Appellant told the student to pick up the papers. A teacher and two parents witnessed the incident and did not see anything about it that raised any concerns in their minds. Appellant similarly did not think too much about the incident and did not report it to the principal. The student, and his brother, left the classroom and went to the principal ’s office to report the incident. The principal was unavailable and the students returned to the band room. They told their mother about the incident when they arrived home. The student’s mother reported the incident to the principal the next day.

Full Story
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/doe/legalservices/1996-24.pdf

Decision:

Based upon the foregoing, it is the opinion of the State Board of Education that the
Local Board denied Appellant procedural due process and the Local Board failed to carry its burden of proof to show that Appellant willfully neglected his duty. Accordingly, the Local
Board’s decision is

REVERSED.

This 12th day of September, 1996.

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TLC did not say that “Boys writhing on the floor and grabbing girls in sexually provocative ways while a teacher stands by and laughs” was normal. TLC stated that she was a student at SWD. She is asking that everyone stop commenting on an incident where the truth is not available and suggests you all spend time with your children to prevent them from doing this “horribly lewd, Chippendales strip tease.” TLC then provided her opinion on Mr. Grigsby by saying that he is the “kindest man” she has ever met. Then she stated that although they had strict rules within the classroom, he turns his head [for a moment] and the students got out of control; now if he had popped [hit] the students, this would be a different discussion. Again, she stated her opinion of Mr. Grigsby saying that he is ALWAYS smiling. She also mentioned how Mr. Grigsby vocal training helped her to obtain a theatre scholarship for the Fall.

When TLC stated that “Its a new generation and a new time.” I will infer that this generation is use to this type of behavior [desensitized], so the things you may find lewd and inappropriate are things that we see on the television everyday.

I decided to rewrite TLC’s comments because some people did not accept her use of grammar, although this is a blog and not an English paper that will be graded.

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Ok, I’ve heard enough EXCUSES! Being a public school teacher, that is ALL I hear from parents whenever their kid is in trouble. And for those who attend SWD or who are parents of students there, you are ridiculous. I don’t care if the man has 15 or 150 kids in the classroom (which I highly doubt any class has 150 in it…)if students have their pants off (?!?)and are simulating sexual acts, umm, what the freak are you doing to NOT notice that?! Culture or not, white or black, it doesn’t matter. A large number of parents today are sorry individuals, take no responsibility for their lack of parenting skills, and are raising complete fools that we must all deal with eventually. And for the record, “everybody” is not smoking weed, having oral in the hallways, or sex wherever they can sneak it. Just the trashy kids (has nothing to do with money or color) whose parents are their “friends” or their babysitters. We don’t need decency laws, we need required parenting classes for some of these fools. Ugh. So fed up with idiots.

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It is amazing to see all of these students and adults taking up for Mr. Grigsby after he just through the entire school and its reputation under the bus!!! “This happens all the time at SWD.” As an alumni of SWD, I am all for him being fired….prosecuted is a bit much. Those students needed punishment as well!!

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It is easy for people to say that we should blame the parents, but society will ALWAYS blame the teachers. The teachers are held responsible for EVERYTHING that children do. Obvioulsy these children were not being watched and did what they wanted to do. The teacher was not teaching or looking after the children which is required of a teacher. Do teachers want to be called babysitters?? NO!!! But that is what public education has become: public daycare for K-12. Teachers want to give their students a free day, but still need to make sure that the students are being productive. These students were obviously not being productive and this is what happened in the process. It is not a black thing, white thing, north thing, or south thing. It is a responsibility issue and the children nor the adult were being responsible. Since the ADULT is the one that is in charge, he needs to face his punishment and stop trying to throw the school and those children under the bus.

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to listen to some of these posters here, it would seem that you harken for the “good ole days” when the schools were segregated. I don’t know this man and would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. I do know that students will do what they want to and as at least one poster has said, your disciplining them gets you in a completely different set up circumstances. As for those that would say it’s just a “south” dekalb problem or a “cultural” thing, your racist opinion is just that, your opinion. My daughter is a student at SWD and she’d like to join the dance team. We’re aware of the past issues with dancing and ignorant behaviour and will be watching to see that they’re addressed. But to scorn these students while ignoring problems in YOUR own community–teenage alcohol and drug abuse, teen pregnancy, etc- strikes me as most hypocritcal. Remember Matthew 7:5- Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

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This type of “dancing” is nothing but ghetto bevavior.

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@ PBM is a TROLL

The truth hurts don’t it?

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First and foremost, I am in no way related to this incident, school, or county. But the comments on this story have compelled me to speak my peace.

You people are RIDICULOUS. Stop and take a second to read back over all of the posts–leaving out personal opinions. Some of you adults sound like children….arguing over race, culture, schools, spelling, and grammar, etc. Bottom line, there is an issue that needs to be taken care of. Bottom line, if the issue doesn’t involve you, get off of this blog and make sure you are doing all that you can to teach your child how he or she should act. If you are not personally involved in this situation, then you have no right to make assumptions or accusations. I agree that there are things happening in public schools that shouldn’t be. I am also aware enough to realize that it IS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE. Not just one school. Not just public school. So quit pointing fingers.

One student stands up for herself, and despite grammatical errors, makes some pretty good points. But as adults you are childish enough to shoot her down. Something is wrong with that picture.

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Thank you just saying.

@DB please get over yourself. Or better yet is your ego that big that you can’t allow in the truth. I scored 34 on the English section of the ACT, and my ability to write is not in question here. now if you are that distracted by misspelling and grammar, then you are clearly more disconnected with the kids than thought, and have no reason to be on this blog. When is the last time you sat in a high school classroom for an hour and a half as a student? So how can you tell me, a student, Mr. Grigsby student what the norm is?

The main point, His Goods outweigh this one bad anyday!

and no i will not be taking remedial english and will be double majoring, you don’t know me, and your judging me, which further proves my point that you are quick to judge, I’m also Nationally qualified debater please come back with another ridiculously egotistical response and judge me

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TLC–I wouldn’t be so sure about not taking the remedial English class yet. Seems your ability to write is in question.

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Black Man, for once, I’m afraid we’re in agreement. However, I am still trying to understand your point(s).

Quite true, down through history, the white man has been neither kind nor tolerant. Witch hunts at Salem, Nazis atrocities in the death camps of WW II Europe, and more recently, civil unrest in 60s Birmingham, Watts, and DC…all support your observations that the white man has not been a good boy. Now, Black Man, with all (due) respect, I ask you…WHAT’S YOUR POINT? What does all this have to do with the topic du jour? Do you somehow seek reparations for all the nasty deeds comitted by the white man? How far back should we go in acknowledging, to your racially-motivated sense of hate and entitlement, that the white man, historically, has proven to be full of poo poo? In order to ease your sense imbalance on the scales of racial misbehavior, consider this as official acknowledgement…owning up, if you will…that the white race has historically been been blood thirsty and violent. Now, once again, I ask…no, I implore…SO WHAT! What, exactly, does this recitation of “owning up” to historical misdeeds have to do with the topic at hand? Are you suggesting that, because the “white man” has no place to speak of inappropriate behavior, than the behaviors of topic discussion should be ignored?

Black Man, I’m sure you have much to contribute to this and many other topics of community concern, however, you seem intent on adding a racial component to all your thoughts. As an educated man, perhaps you should try to modulate your comments to the topics at hand.

This story details yet another means by which we, our legislative leaders, have imobilized the exercise of common sense. The pc gods, in their infinite wisdom, will (if not already have) destroy any and all efforts to educate kids. When a teacher cannot approach a student in order to make “on-the-spot corrections” out of fear that the student might accuse the teacher of being a dirty ole man, the pc gods win…WE LOSE.

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It’s really sad to think that this dancing is okay. I am a young African-American male who thinks Mr. Grigsby was not only wrong but created an environment that was under NO control. If my daughter was in a room and the teacher let a young man grab her and feel on her body, he would have to go to jail. This man is dirt! His defense attorney gives black people a bad name. They should leave Georgia!

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Ignorance. I love how all of you adults can have such strong opinions of a case you don’t really know, students you’ve never met, parents who were absent, and a man who has done NOTHING wrong. Ignorance is simply not knowing, and not to be disrespectful, but most of you who have commented are just that. Ignorance is okay, because no one knows everything. And I am not ignorant of the face that I don’t know everything. The problem comes when you voice your ignorance.
Firstly, NONE of the parents who commented on this article really know what your children do out of your presence. I find it offending that anyone can judge the guardians of the children involved. Even if your transgression was not as serious, or did not have serious consequences, I can bet ALL of you have at least once disobeyed your parent(s). I agree the video was not at all appropriate, but who are any of you to judge anyone involved. The students will probably never do anything like that again, and have learned their lessons. None of you know Mr. Grigsby, and everyone is America is suppose to be innocent until proven guilty, but it seems to me that most of you are ignorant of that as well.
-SWD Student

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