Obama Meeting Costs High School Class President His Office
It’s a controversy involving a president and a would-be commander in chief.
But the president, in this case, is an 18-year-old Pennsylvania high school student who claims he was forced to resign as head of his senior class because he skipped gym and left school to see Democratic presidential would-be Barack Obama.
Colin Saltry, a Scranton High School senior, and fellow classmate Joey Daniel reportedly bolted school on Monday to catch a glimpse of the Illinois senator during a campaign stop at “The Glider” restaurant, just minutes away from their school.
Saltry and Daniel say they met Obama, snapped photos with him, and even had the candidate sign excuse slips to present to their teachers.
But their decision to skip out did not sit well with school administrators, who said the students broke the rules by leaving school without permission.
Both Saltry and Daniel were issued one-day suspensions. Saltry also claims school principal Brian McGraw told him to “start writing his resignation letter,” according to the Scranton Times-Tribune Web site.
McGraw reportedly denied the claim and said Saltry voluntarily withdrew as class president.
The Obama campaign declined to comment on the controversy. McGraw was not immediately available for comment.
Meanwhile, students at Scranton High School expressed outrage over Saltry’s resignation, posting online messages of support on his Facebook.com Web page.
The group site, which claims to be the official site for Saltry’s future presidential campaign — “sometime in the next 40 years” — was inundated with postings Wednesday by students angered over their classmate’s punishment.
“Help keep Saltry in office,” one statement read. ” Voice your support here on the wall or on his wall…Thanks for sticking by him and let’s rock 2008 right to the very bitter end!!!”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rules are rules. Those boys broke them and they got their just desserts.Maybe the next time they want to skip school for whatever the reason they will think twice before doing so. By the way SHAME on Mr. Obama for signing an excuse for them!!!
These two individuals chose to skip school without parental permission and are surprised that they are got suspended? Give me a break, a suspension is the rule after getting caught for “cutting classes”. Additionally, if one is the head of their school’s class, they are in a Leadership role, being asked to step down does not appear to be adverse punishment to me. The issue I find most surprising is the comments below from citizens who seem to endorse this kind of behavior.
Perhaps a better punishment would have been labor that the schoool may have needed. Have the boy do supervised labor in exchange for his choice to skip school. Community service to help the school until the end of the school year. Kind of like detention a few years back.
IF it was Hillary who he went to see, i bet he would of never gotten suspended.
Good for this young man. I would have done the same thing to see Obama. It was a once in a life time historical event. The school could have made a history class of the event. Public schools have no common sense. I would have been happy knowing the student wasn’t out skipping school to do drugs……..
Kids skip school all the time and rarely get a suspension, usualy only people who skip a great deal get suspended. This has nothing to do with the elections, just some goofy tabloid style reporting I’d expect from a supermarket not a new channel. As mentioned before this is not news. If your this slow on storys why not cover the clean up efforts on the Colorado forest fires.
Great presidents must undergo severe testing. Hang in there until you are Obamanized, then you will be heading for greatness.
Obviously the administration has lost their understanding of American Democracy and the protections secured within it. It is very concerning that the school administration feels they have the power to remove someone from office that was elected by the student body.
Bryan,
Your attitude is an example of why “CONSERVATIVES” don’t think for them selves or get anything important done!
This kid learned a valuable lesson despite missing school that day………that actions have consequences.
His action (skipping school, regardless of the reason) had a resulting consequence (his suspension and ultimate resignation).
I can’t help but think that if he were a conservative instead of a whiney liberal, he would already have known that lesson.