Student kicked out of Texas high school for making a computer game map...

[TGO David]

http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/2847/chinese-community-rallies-behind-student-removed-from-clements-over-pc-game-map

by Bob Dunn, Apr 30, 2007, 11 57 am

Members of the area Chinese community have rallied behind a Clements High School senior who was removed from the campus and sent to M.R. Wood Alternative Education Center after parents complained he’d created a computer game map of Clements.

About 70 people attended the Fort Bend Independent School District’s April 23 meeting to show support for the Clements senior and his mother, Jean Lin, who spoke to FBISD Board trustees in a closed session.

While an agenda document does not specify details, the board is holding a special meeting tonight to address the boy’s actions and the discipline that was meted out as a result, sources close to the matter say. The boy’s name was not identified last week, and the district has declined to discuss his case.

Richard Chen, president of the Fort Bend Chinese-American Voters League and a acquaintance of the boy’s family, said he is a talented student who enjoys computer games and learned how to create maps (also sometimes known as “mods”), which provide new environments in which games may be played.

The map the boy designed mimicked Clements High School. And, sources said, it was uploaded either to the boy’s home computer or to a computer server where he and his friends could access and play on it. Two parents apparently learned from their children about the existence of the game, and complained to FBISD administrators, who investigated.

“They arrested him,” Chen said of FBISD police, “and also went to the house to search.” The Lin family consented to the search, and a hammer was found in the boy’s room, which he used to fix his bed, because it wasn’t in good shape, Chen said. He indicated police seized the hammer as a potential weapon.

“They decided he was a terroristic threat,” said one source close to the district’s investigation.

Sources said that although no charges were filed against the boy, he was removed from Clements, sent to the district’s alternate education school and won’t be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies with classmates.

“All he did was create a map and put it on a web site to allow students to play,” Chen said. “The mother thinks this is too harsh.”

FBISD officials declined to comment on the matter Monday. “Our challenge is, people in the community have freedom of speech and can say what they want, but we have laws” covering privacy issues, especially involving minors, that the district has to respect, said spokeswoman Nancy Porter.

Speakers at the FBISD Board’s April 23 meeting alluded to the Clements senior’s punishment, and drew a connection to the April 16 shootings at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, in which a Korean student shot and killed 32 people.

The Asian community “faces new pressures” as a result of the shootings, William Sun told board members. “We urge the school and community not to label our Asian students as terrorists.”

“We should teach our children not to judge others harshly” and not to target people as being a threat because of their race, said Peter Woo, adding that the school district should lead the way in such efforts.

But Chen said Monday he and other community members don’t consider FBISD’s actions in the case to be racially motivated, and don’t think they blew the incident out of proportion.

“They all think the principal has to do something – but how much? We do understand with the Virginia Tech incident…something has to be done,” Chen said. “Someone just made a mistake, and we think the principal should understand that.”

[TGO David]

This is friggin RIDICULOUS. It may not have been the smartest thing the kid could have done given the current political climate in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, but give me a damn break!!!

I've read accounts of other kids being kicked out of school because they made a gun-like symbol with their index finger and thumb... because they drew a gun on a piece of paper... etc.

RIDICULOUS!!!! It's a return to McCarthysim.

[saintsfanbrian]

Wait - We must ban all of the hammers too. I can't believe that

He indicated police seized the hammer as a potential weapon.

Good God, what will Carpenters do now?

[Branket]

Well now that I know it's illegal I won't go into details, let's just say a...friend of mine...made a map of their high school for counter strike. No one seemed to care at the time but maybe I'll advise this friend to secure those files somewhere safe...

Oh btw I think this is ridiculous as well.

[Guest dotsun]

Wait - We must ban all of the hammers too. I can't believe that

Good God, what will Carpenters do now?

I'm all for a background check on carpenters and a waiting period for the purchase of hammers. My house is a case in point. The idiot that tried to remodel it before I bought it should be charged with a felony.

/threadjackrantoff

I made a ut map of my work, maybe I should delete it before someone finds out.