Schools

Kids Should Be Able to Stand Their Ground, School Board Member Says

That's the contention of a Duval County School Board member, who says children should be allowed to fight back if they're attacked.

Duval County School Board member Jason Fischer thinks it’s high time students who are attacked on campus get the right to fight back without fear of getting into trouble.

Fischer is pushing for a change in that school district’s Code of Conduct that would allow kids to meet force with force if they are attacked, First Coast News is reporting.

"We have to, as a society, say we're not going to let our kids be bullied, we're not going to let them be attacked and violated, or further victimized by the criminal justice system or the discipline process,” Fischer was quoted as saying.

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Fischer’s proposal has been compared to Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, which gained national attention during the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman following the death of Trayvon Martin. While Zimmerman’s defense didn’t cite the law in their case, it became a hotbed of debate at the time.

Stand Your Ground aside, Duval School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti isn’t too keen on Fischer’s proposal. He told First Coast News it’s possible the district will look at changing the code to allow consideration of student motivations when fighting, but that he’s not willing to let anyone off the hook for fighting.

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Read the full story on First Coast News.

What are your thoughts on Fischer’s proposal? Should kids be able to fight back if they’re attacked in school? Tell us by commenting below!


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