Posted by  H.Spruell, Lakeland, Florida on 07/11  at  10:57 AM

the student should have been suspendid.
there arent locks on the doors
the student could of easily left to go use the bathroom.
using the bathroom in the waste can is disgusting.
and the teacher should have been sent home for the day.

Posted by  James Gatto, Port Richey, FL. on 03/13  at  07:44 AM

No, I don’t think the teacher should have been suspended.I think the teacher should have been sent home for the day & an investigation conducted.Come on now, if I was a student& my teacher denied me the right to use the bathroom,I would have stressed that it was an emergency.I’m sure the teacher would have let the student go. Don’t get me wrong, teachers make alot of mistakes too, but maybe this student has gotten into trouble before. In the past this may have been a way for this peticular student to get out of class&getinto mischeif with other student’s.

Posted by  Hana Murr, Tampa on 03/05  at  08:53 PM

I can’t make an educated decision unless I have more information on what context the situation was in. LIke, who said and did what, and when.

Posted by  Lucy Davis, Murphy, N.C. on 03/05  at  01:08 PM

I’ll bet Wilcox’s parents raised him to defy authority.  One of the new breed who have no respect for parents, teachers, or the law.  Naturally, he’s going to side with the miscreants who have been taught there isn’t any punishment for disrupting class, or disrespecting teachers.  Let’s hope he gets caught with his finger in the cookie jar, and is fired.

Posted by  Robert Cerajewski, Largo,FL on 03/05  at  09:08 AM

Not necessary to suspend teacher.
A reprimand would have been sufficient,after all when one must go,let him go. Arrogant,disruptive students mock a teachers authority in every class,every day.
They are the models for the “thugs” needing boot camps.
This situation could have been better solved after class with a trip to the office for disruptive behavior.
We deny seeing this daily abuse of teachers and the system to better serve
the stand that teachers are paid OK.
We are being held hostage by the student and their “rights” instead of making them “fully acountable”.
Fines for bad behavior in class would change things by directing the problem where it belongs,“Back to the apathetic parents who allow such behavior” Nuff Said

Posted by  Sandi Bennett, Plant City on 03/04  at  11:12 PM

I am a teacher of 25 years and believe Wilcox should be suspended without pay for 10 days for his decision to suspend the teacher. What a message he is sending to all students…you are in control kids.The kid is a known trouble-maker and needs to be suspended or expelled. Shame on you Wilcox :(

Posted by  Sal SCigowski, St. Petersburg Florida on 03/04  at  08:44 AM

The boy needed to use the bathroom, needed a note from a doctor if he has bladder problems, he’s another discipline problem and the poor teacher was fed up with his attention getting devices.
Kids use bathroom for activites other than relieving themselves.
Why did he not just go to the bathroom tell the principal why he disregarded the teacher’s denial?
Instead of making a mountain out of a molehill, he might have asked for a doctor’s excuse to do his business?where are the parents who spawned him   out so a doctor or psychiatrist might have intervened?

Posted by  Jeff Schafer, Sarasota on 03/03  at  06:45 PM

What a great message to send to unruly students. Another punk showing off and a teacher gets canned.

Posted by  David Bieniecki, New Port Richey on 03/03  at  03:48 PM

Without having all the facts surrounding this event, it is hard to say whether the school board is correct.  But based only on the facts of the article, I would say the school board completely over-reacted.  If it is policy for students to use the restroom during class, then the teacher should have just received a verbal counseling.  By suspending the teacher, what message are we sending students? Students don’t have to listen to their teacher? The student in this case should have been suspended, or possibly arrested for his actions.

Posted by  Mary Jane Fitzwater, Largo FL on 03/03  at  03:36 PM

The teacher has 30 years of experience.Based on that alone& the fact she has been interacting with him this year…that day, SHE is the one that made the proper decision.The student also knows what he alone was thinking. NO ONE ELSE BUT THE TWO OF THEM DO! Dr Wilcox should stand behind his teachers. What is he in fear of? This teacher has no previous marks on her record and the students integrity is in guestion.  What happened to the progressive displine anyway? Where is the teachers Union the teachers pay for? Where are their Weingarten rights???  Oops I said that nasty word Union in Florida.
Kudo’s to the teacher, I wish her the best in her endeavors to fight this.  Mr. Wilcox, you get an F grade in my report card this semester!!!!!!

Posted by  Nora Taylor, Phoenix, Arizona on 03/03  at  01:13 PM

To punish this teacher for an act of this magnitude caused by an unruly student is ludicrous. Unfortunately teachers must guard themselves and other students from troublemakers such as this who at anytime could be disruptive or even violent. What measures are being taken by the parents of this student to stop this kind of behavior? In my opinion he should be suspended for 10 days and the superintendent’s actions need to be examined.

Posted by  Walter J. Noble, Palm Harbor, FL 34684 on 03/03  at  10:03 AM

The Pinellas County School Board needs to terminate the employment of Superintendent Clayton Wilcox for supporting improper student behavior.

A junior in high school urinates in a trash can in a closet in a classroom.  The teacher verbally over-reacts.  Supt. Wilcox recommends suppending the teacher for 10 days, (a loss of $2740 in earned income).  What is wrong with this picture?  A superintendent who supports ill-behaved students.

Supt. Wilcox needs to be suspended indefinitely for his indefensible decision.

Posted by  Kim Stock, Riverview on 03/03  at  09:31 AM

This teacher should definitly be suspended.  She needs to learn that just because she is the teacher does not give her any power over students’ natural bodily functions.